


Accomplice Ending

by magumarashi



Series: Love & Justice Series (Actual Phantom Thief AU) [2]
Category: Persona 5
Genre: M/M, as if the original fic wasnt self indulgent enough tbh, mishima is mentioned in passing, mostly totally self indulgent slice of life
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-08-25
Updated: 2017-10-07
Packaged: 2018-12-19 22:33:21
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 14
Words: 30,142
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11907573
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/magumarashi/pseuds/magumarashi
Summary: Five years after their first meeting by the Seine, a certain former phantom thief and a certain former detective continue their lives together...





	1. Ordinary Days (Prologue)

**Author's Note:**

> "i'm done with [love & justice](http://archiveofourown.org/works/11051823) now" i said. "no you're not" said my brain. "well sheesh, guess i'm not!" i said.
> 
> basically i started thinking about what happens after my very intentional cliffhanger ending. So, for the people who were unsatisfied with that: rejoice! here's the answer. but this is definitely a way less serious endeavor than L&J was--it's more like a slice of life anime than the porny crime thriller I set out to write with L&J. (though there is a bit of a subplot). You could almost say it's a fic of a fic lmao. lots of domestic fluff, a little angst, a little porn, the whole works. 
> 
> I'm not really concerned with whether it "lives up" to L&J or not, but... anyway. happy reading, y'all
> 
>  **Note regarding tags and rating:**  
>  As with Love & Justice, I chose not to use specific tags for the sexual activities in this fic because the element of surprise is somewhat important to the story. I can, however, guarantee that the sex scenes are both plainly marked and 100% consensual. The characters have been aged up from the canon material; Akira is 25 while Goro is 26.

_Thinking about that day, and the things that have happened since then… it’s nostalgic, in a way._

Morning light streamed in through the windows of a modest apartment just outside Tokyo. The smell of coffee wafted in from the kitchen as one Goro Akechi got ready to go to school. He’d packed up his books and pencils the previous night, as usual; he was nothing if not disciplined. Clothes on, teeth brushed, he made a quick stop in the front room, where the _butsudan_ was set up. A faded picture of his mother sat on the altar in a simple frame. He lit some incense and rang the bell, more out of habit than anything. He wasn’t really all that attached to her, but the previous tenant had left behind their _butsudan_ , so he supposed he should make use of it.

_You may not care what happens to me, but… I hope you can see how far I’ve come since you left._

“Oh, Goro? You’re awake?” a voice reached his ears from the kitchen, “Do you have time before class? I made extra this morning.”

“Coming!” Goro answered, leaving the incense smoldering behind him.

He took a seat at the table, moving aside the mail and coupons left there from yesterday. His partner came out of the kitchen carrying two plates piled high with pancakes.

“Jeez, you made a lot!” said Goro, “I can’t eat all these before I have to leave…”

“Well, do your best.” Akira smiled, setting a plate in front of him, “Whatever you don’t finish, you can just have again tomorrow.”

“That’s true…”

Goro couldn’t help but watch as his partner headed back into the kitchen to get silverware and syrup. His eyes lingered on the little haphazard bow holding Akira’s apron together. It wasn’t anything frilly or fancy--actually, it had been a goodbye present when Akira left his job at Leblanc--but for some reason, it caught Goro’s attention.  

“Hm?” Akira noticed Goro staring at him, “What’s on your mind?”

“Ah, nothing,” Goro smiled, “I was just thinking about how nice you look in an apron.”

“But I’d look better wearing nothing _but_ an apron, right?” Akira grinned cheekily as he joined his partner at the table.

“If I didn’t have class this morning, I’d ask you to demonstrate for me.”

By now, Goro had had years of practice answering Akira’s quips. He was able to resume cutting into his pancakes as though their conversation was about the weather.

“Aw, you’re no fun…”

“I only said I have class this morning,” said Goro, “I didn’t say anything about _after_ class.”

“Hm,” said Akira, “I’m sad I have work now… otherwise I’d gladly take you up on that.”

“Oh, a late shift again?”

Akira nodded, starting in on his own pancakes.

“It’ll be late shifts for a while… They end around nine, though. You’ll still be up by the time I get back, right?”

“Mm-hm. Now that I’ll be spending all day thinking about you in that apron…”

They bantered like this throughout breakfast; Goro barely made it through his food before it was time to leave. Akira cleared the table, and Goro went to grab his bookbag from his room. _Their_ room. They’d been living together for nearly a year, and it still didn’t quite seem real to him: that this apartment, this space, was _theirs_.

Akira was waiting in the front hall as Goro came out to put his shoes on.

“Have a good day at school.”

Their lips met briefly, as they did every morning--a little ritual that hadn’t lost its charm even as it folded into their usual routine.

“Mm, I will. And good luck with work.”

“Try not to get _too_ distracted during class.” Akira smirked.

“Well, you’re certainly not helping.” Goro tapped his toes on the ground to make sure his shoes were snug, “Well, then… I’ll be off.”

“See you later.”

Goro left, breathing a sigh as the door closed behind him--partly to prepare himself for the day, and partly in an attempt to clear his mind of inappropriate thoughts. He could think about those things after class. For now, it was time to begin his commute into the city. This would be the last year he’d be venturing to school: he’d be graduating in the coming spring. A Bachelor of Arts with a History emphasis. It was something he’d come upon almost by accident; a class taken for a core credit his freshman year had led him down the path of history. That’s the story he tended to tell, anyway.

He had to give Akira _some_ credit for sparking his interest in the subject.

Goro’s focus was more on things like wars and politics than art and culture, but there were times when art was the only record left behind. He could understand the historical context of a piece of art; what sorts of things were going on in society at the time, and what values were reflected in its creation--but the technical details of light and color were beyond him. He supposed there were some things he could leave for Akira to teach him.

It was nice, sharing a common interest with the person he cared about most. Sharing interests, sharing space… He’d grown up an occupant in someone else’s home, then lived much of his young adulthood alone. He’d never realized just how much those things had affected him until he learned what he’d been missing.

_If you told me at sixteen that I would go on to have a committed relationship and a loving partner, I would have laughed in your face. Back then, I didn’t consider myself worthy of love. The only worth I had lay in what others could use to exploit me._

_But Akira showed me the value I have just by existing._

Goro raised his left hand, admiring the silver ring on his fourth finger.

_And so, the story of “us” continues on…_


	2. Blind Justice

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> An apology would be a good start.

_That day, which had seemed so ordinary, led me to believe in something like “fate”.._.

/ /

“Boss, can I go on break a little early?”

“Huh? It’s not lunchtime yet…” The bearded man behind the counter frowned.

“It’s important. I gotta talk to this guy right away.”

“I can wait, it’s alright,” Goro protested, “I’ll just have some coffee in the meantime…”

The bearded man’s eyes wandered between the two boys. His expression warmed into a smirk.

“Oh, I see what’s going on here,” he said, “This must be that ‘super-hot boyfriend’ you left behind in France.”

“Ohhhh my god….” Goro covered his face in embarrassment, beet red, “Akira, did you _seriously_ \--!?”

“What, I can’t brag about my super-hot boyfriend?”

“After what you did, I would _think not--!”_

“It’s alright,” the bearded man nodded to Akira, “It sounds like you’ve got some things to work out, so I’ll hold down the fort for a bit. But you only have your regular break time, alright? No going over.”

“I won’t, boss.”

Removing his apron, Akira beckoned for Goro to follow him to the back of the shop. Just beyond the restroom there was a flight of stairs; Goro cautiously accompanied him to the upper floor, heart pounding. It had been six months since they’d last seen each other, and they hadn’t parted on the best of terms--it was only natural that he’d be nervous.

To his surprise, the attic at Leblanc was home to a modest apartment. There was a bed in one corner, a work desk, and a table and couch. A couple of makeshift bookshelves housed textbooks and knickknacks. Posters of Impressionist paintings hung on the walls; Goro recognized a few of them from Akira’s dorm back in France. Despite the somewhat shabby furnishings, it managed to look lived-in.

“You… live here?” said Goro.

“Uh-huh,” Akira took a seat on the bed, “This is where I lived when I was here on probation, and the old man let me come back and use it for college. I have to go across the street for baths and stuff, but it’s a hell of a lot cheaper than the dorms.”

“I see…” Taking another look around, Goro thought the room seemed almost homey. Charming, in a way that his cookie-cutter dormroom back in Paris hadn’t been.

“So…” said Akira, “Um… why don’t you pull up a chair?”

Goro took the chair by the work desk and pulled it over so that he could sit down across from him. His heart was pounding still, but it was a bit of a relief to see Akira looking just as nervous as he was.

“So, what have you been up to?” Goro offered, “Working as a barista, I see.”

“Yeah…” said Akira, “That, and I’ve got one more year of school to finish up. That extra semester in France threw off my schedule, so I’m actually graduating late…”

“I see.”

“It’s… been hard to get back into the swing of things,” Akira admitted, knitting his fingers together, “You know. Coming back to a normal life after being a phantom thief and all…”

“I can only imagine. You seem to have been keeping a low enough profile, though. Otherwise I would have heard something by now.”

“Yeah…” Akira scratched the back of his head, as if fumbling around for his next words. “I guess I’m not really in hiding, but I have to be careful all the same. Every time I hear someone mention Arsene I get nervous. I’ve been looking over my shoulder a lot too. Feels like I’m being followed, sometimes…”

Akira glanced up at him, smiling wryly.

“And this is it, I guess. You’re finally here to arrest me.”

“Actually, no,” said Goro. “I resigned from the force about six months ago. Today, I’m just here as a regular customer.”

“Oh…” Akira breathed a sigh of relief, “Wait, you quit?”

“Before they could fire me, of course,” Goro smiled mirthlessly, “Are you really that surprised, after that stunt you pulled at the Louvre?”

“Ah…” Akira grimaced.

“Having been so thoroughly defeated, I decided to take responsibility and resign,” said Goro, “It was my plan that failed, after all. It was an embarrassment to the department on an international stage.”

“Right…” Akira looked increasingly uncomfortable as Goro went on. Good. He deserved it.

There was a tense silence between them for a few minutes.

“Listen…” said Akira, “I… I should apologize for what I did that night.”

“Well, that would be a good start,” said Goro.

“... Yeah,” Akira glanced away, “It’s been bothering me ever since. I don’t have any regrets about my time as Arsene, but… I shouldn’t have done that to you. Er… can I explain why, at least?”

“Sure. I’ve been curious to know what would drive you to do something so cruel.”

“Ah… yeah…”

Goro almost wished he hadn’t said it like that--Akira’s pained reaction was like a dagger in his own heart. Even so, he stood firm. Now was not the time for pity.

“I figured out the bust was fake about two months in advance,” Akira began. “It was clever, I’ll give you that, but it also meant that you were scamming everyone coming to see the exhibit. That didn’t really sit well with me.”

“So says the famous thief.”

“Are you going to let me explain or not?”

“Fine… continue.”

“Anyway, that’s when I decided to expose your plans. I knew you would resent me if I did, but at that point I didn’t think it’d be possible for us to… you know. Be together, in the end.”

Akira looked at his hands, fiddling with his fingers as he gathered his words.

“I had a feeling you already knew I was Arsene,” he continued. “Either you’d arrest me, or I’d escape and have to spend the rest of my life avoiding you. So that’s why I ended up going through with my plan. I didn’t want you to hate me, not really, but… to be honest, I couldn’t see any good ways out of this. Given a no-win situation, I thought I might as well go out with a bang.”

“It was certainly an elaborate display.”

“Yeah… Anyway, I didn’t expect you to catch up to me that night,” Akira continued, “Putting a tracker in the bust was brilliant, Goro. I can’t believe that didn’t occur to me as a risk.”

Goro couldn’t help smiling at this--knowing that he’d managed to outsmart Akira even a little--but he quickly quashed it with a frown.

“After you let me go, I wanted to just quietly sneak out. I really did. But the helicopter was my only ticket out, and Morgana--er, my assistant--had my regular clothes. I couldn’t just take the metro or a taxi in my costume, right? Not to mention the whole setup was on a timer, so the confetti, music, and broadcast would have gone off without me anyway…”

“You’d planned for the worst, then.”

“The timed setup was so that I could get the last word in even if I got caught, yeah.”

Goro laughed hollowly.

“That’s so like Arsene…”

“I thought so,” said Akira, “But even so… I shouldn’t have gone through with it, in the end. Especially not after you let me escape. I shouldn’t have taken advantage of your mercy like that…”

Akira paused, lowering his head in remorse.

“It was stupid of me, and… I’m sorry. I’m not gonna ask for forgiveness, but, I hope that explains it a little...”

Goro eyed him for a while, arms folded.

_It’s strange… Hearing the truth, I feel like I should be angrier. Like I shouldn’t be so willing to sit here and listen to him; to believe him. He did take advantage of me, after all. It’s not as though I haven’t thought about what would happen if we were to meet again. If I should yell at him, slap him, cast him aside--it would only be what he deserves, after what he did._

_And yet, for some reason… I can’t._

_No matter how hard I think about it, I just can’t do that to him._

_… It’s selfish, isn’t it?_

“Hm,” he said finally, “While I’m not going to pretend I’m not still mad at you… I accept your apology.”

“Huh. Didn’t expect that to work.” Akira sat up suddenly, meeting the other’s gaze.

“You haven’t changed a bit, have you,” Goro sighed. “But I do mean it.”

“Why, though? Legitimately curious. Most normal people wouldn’t forgive me for trashing both our relationship and their career in the same night.”

“I never said anything about forgiving,” said Goro sharply. Akira gulped. “But I see that your assessment of the situation was sound. It was a scenario that could not possibly have gone well for either of us, and what you did was just one of a myriad of horrible outcomes. I knew that even if I let you go, we wouldn’t be able to…”

He trailed off.

“Anyway. There’s also the fact that, for better or for worse, I don’t regret leaving the force.”

“Um…” Akira raised an eyebrow, “What?”

“I became a detective because I _had_ to, at the time,” said Goro. “But I was never particularly attached to it as a career. When I resigned, it gave me an opportunity to think about what I really wanted to do with my life. I’d never… had that opportunity before. So, bitter as I am about the way things went between us...”

Goro took a deep breath before continuing.

“I can’t just pretend you didn’t…” he paused, trying to think of how best to describe the way he felt. “... save me. For lack of a better word.”

Akira stared at him for a long time. The look on his face at that moment was almost too much; worried that his own emotions would start to show, Goro looked away.

“So that’s why you didn’t turn me in, then,” said Akira finally.

“Yes. Believe me, I thought about it. But in the end… I just couldn’t.”

“... thank you…” Akira murmured.

“Don’t.”

“I mean it.” Akira spoke more loudly this time, “Thank you. I--I owe you my life, Goro…”

“Don’t remind me.”

“What, _you_ get to talk about how I metaphorically saved you, but I can’t talk about owing you my literal life?”

“This and that are different things.”

Akira snorted.

"Yep, that sounds like something you'd say."

Goro let out an exasperated sigh, but couldn't come up with anything clever to shoot back. For a while they were quiet, each trying to find something else to say. Goro considered calling it there, packing up his things and heading back downstairs. He had the closure he'd been looking for; he had no further business staying. Yet something was still bothering him, and he wondered if he was brave enough to put it into words...

“You know…” said Akira, breaking the silence with a smirk, “This makes you my accomplice.”

“Oh _shut up_.” Goro was already starting to doubt whether reconciliation was the right call. “I’m not your accomplice. I simply did you a favor, that’s all.”

“Uh-huh. Doing criminals a favor sounds like the definition of accomplice.”

“I can still turn you in, you know.”

“Alright, alright, I’ll stop messing with you.”

“Anyway, we should head back downstairs. I don’t want to take up too much of your break time…”

“Alright.”  Akira stood up, “I’ll make you some coffee, if you’d like.”

“That would be lovely….”

Goro stood up as well, replacing the chair at the work desk. He noticed a slim black smartphone resting on the desk; its case emblazoned with a familiar, fancy letter A. Without quite thinking about it, Goro took his phone from his pocket.

“Can I… get your number again?” he asked.

He wasn’t even sure why he’d asked it, but the words left his mouth before he could stop them.

“Oh, sure. I was about to ask you the same thing, actually.” Akira went to get his phone from the desk. “My old phone broke right after I got back from France, and I lost all my contacts anyway…”

“I, er, I might have deleted yours…” Goro smiled apologetically, “I was _pretty_ mad at you, after all… Sorry.”

“Nah. I don’t blame you.”

There was a _ping_ as the two phones traded information.

“Um... Keep in touch, alright?” said Akira, “I know it might be awkward now, but… I miss talking to you.”

Goro nodded--he couldn’t outright admit that he’d been thinking the same thing lately.

"I'll try..."

“Let’s go get that coffee started,” said Akira with a warm smile, “I’ll make it just the way you like it--oh, and it’s on me today.”

“You don’t have to pamper me…”

“Of course I do,” Akira’s smile widened into a grin, “I owe you for letting me walk, after all.”

“It’s going to take a lot more than _coffee_ to make up for that, Akira.”

“I know. We’ll just start with the coffee, and take it from there.”

The two of them bickered and bantered all the way back down the stairs as if nothing had changed. The bearded man seemed surprised that they’d come downstairs so early, but he moved aside to let Akira use the coffee equipment. Goro took a seat at the now empty counter, eyes roving around the cafe. It was a homey sort of place--like a little slice of Paris amid the bustle of Tokyo. The smell of coffee, the soft chatter of other patrons, and the person who’d changed his life working behind the counter…

_Whether letting him go was the “right” choice… maybe that doesn’t matter anymore. Our lives as thief and detective are behind us._

_It might be nice to lead an ordinary life, for a change._

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> originally this and the next flashback were one chapter, but i split them up for better pacing. the unfortunate effect of that was more angst lmao


	3. Phone Call

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The past has a funny way of finding you again, even when you thought you'd laid it to rest.

Goro’s first class ended around eleven, leaving him ample time for lunch. As he left the classroom, he took his phone from his pocket and noticed that he’d missed a call. To his surprise, the caller ID read  _ Niijima _ . That would be Sae Niijima, a former associate in the Tokyo police force, and his partner during his time in France. He hadn’t spoken to her in years--he wasn’t sure why her number was still in his phone, actually--so he was somewhat nervous as he checked his voicemail.

_ “Akechi-kun, it’s been a while. I know it seems sudden to contact you out of the blue, but I have something important to discuss. It’s about the Arsene case. I know you’re not part of the force anymore, but please call when you get a chance.” _

Goro managed to find a quiet alcove from which to make the call. His hands trembled as he hit redial. 

_ I haven’t heard anything since I was formally removed from the case. Has Niijima been working on it all this time? Could she have traced everything back to Akira…? And why would she be telling me? I’m a civilian now--! _

The sound of a voice on the other end jerked him from his thoughts.

“Hello?”

“Niijima-san, it’s me. Akechi.”

“Oh! Akechi-kun!” Niijima’s voice immediately warmed, “It’s been a long time!”

“It has,” Goro was able to slip back into his detective persona somewhat effortlessly, even after all this time. “I was surprised to see a call from you.”

“Yes, and I’m sure you’re wondering why I called,” said Niijima. “I’ll get right to the point. The NHK is planning to do a special talk show about Arsene.”

“Oh,” said Goro. Mentally, he let out a sigh of relief. “Seems like a strange topic, considering he was primarily active in France.”

“That’s what I thought, too,” said Niijima, “But after his public appearance, his name made headlines around the world. When I looked into it, I discovered that Arsene’s popularity has even reached niche circles in Japan. He’s got quite a fan following here--people even cosplay as him.”

“I see…”

“Anyway, somehow the NHK got wind that two Japanese detectives were working on the Arsene case, and they reached out to the department to see if they could get us to make an appearance. They’re billing it as ‘a never-before-seen inside look at Japan’s connection to Arsene,’ or something like that.”

“Hm…” Goro frowned. Niijima seemed to sense his unease over the phone.

“It’s alright,” she said, “I’ve been in touch with our colleagues in Paris. We’re clear to talk about Arsene publicly now, since the case is already--”

“I know,” said Goro, “That’s not what I’m concerned about. It’s just… I don’t know if I should be the one to talk about the case, considering it’s my fault that Arsene got away…” 

“Don’t blame yourself,” said Niijima, “You did the best you could, considering the circumstances. I still think your plan was brilliant, even if it didn’t go the way we wanted.”

“Thank you…”

“To get back on topic: you were the lead detective on that case for almost the entire time Arsene was active. I don’t think anyone is more qualified to speak about him than you are.”

_ I can think of one person… _ Goro thought. Instead he said, “You’re probably right, Niijima-san, but I still have a few reservations about this.”

“Well, the broadcast will be in a few weeks.” There was an understanding smile in her voice. “I’m planning to be on it, and I can handle it by myself if need be. But if you change your mind, let me know, alright?”

“I’ll keep thinking about it, Niijima-san. Thank you for reaching out to me.”

“Of course. Hope to hear from you soon.”

Goro hung up and replaced the phone in his bag. He breathed a nervous sigh, leaning back against the wall.

_ A chance to appear on television doesn’t come by every day, but…  _

He was no longer a minor and no longer a detective; at the very least, he didn’t have any concerns about his safety. If it had been any other case, Goro would have had no problem coming forward to talk about it. 

The Arsene case was different. Personal.

_ I suppose I should ask Akira what he thinks about this. About me going on a major network to talk about his crimes--something that the two of us have already agreed to put behind us. _

They didn’t really talk much about “back then”. Over the years, they’d sort of agreed that it was off the table. There was the occasional reference to the time they’d spent together--meals they’d shared, places they’d visited--but anything to do with their past lives as thief and detective simply didn’t come up in conversation.

_ Of course, I would never reveal that he is Arsene--even if he’s safe from legal repercussion, I don’t want to think about what that would do to his private life. Our private life. He’d become a celebrity instantly, and would likely never see a moment’s peace… No, I will let him reveal himself if and when he chooses to. But I still don’t want to do something like this without warning him first. Am I even sure I want to do it…? _

His growling stomach startled him from his thoughts.

_ Well, there’s no use thinking about it on an empty stomach. _

Doing his best to think about something else, Goro began the trek over to the student hub building for lunch.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> i kept begging my brain to stop giving me over-the-top plotbunnies bc i really honest to god didnt want this to be as serious or lengthy as L&J, so just know that "tv show about arsene" is the least ridiculous subplot this could have had


	4. Blind Love

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Goro knew he probably ought to avoid it, but he couldn’t help gravitating toward Akira’s little corner of Tokyo. He would be lying to himself if he said he didn’t know why.

_Of course I wasn’t content just to remain his friend. When you’ve found someone who moves you that deeply, that intimately… how do you just move on from that?_

/ /

As the weeks went on, Goro became a bit of a regular at Leblanc. He’d stop by to do his homework in one of the booths, or sit at the bar just to enjoy a cup of coffee and some peace. Before long he had Akira’s schedule memorized, and was able to plan his visits for when he knew his friend would be working. They’d sneak off to the attic and eat lunch together on Akira’s breaks, chatting about schoolwork. The tiny cafe and its dusty attic started to feel a little like home--if Goro had anything he could truly call home.

Goro knew he probably ought to avoid it, but he couldn’t help gravitating toward Akira’s little corner of Tokyo. He would be lying to himself if he said he didn’t know why.

_Am I supposed to just continue on with my life as though “us” never happened?_

Akira was friendly enough, even after what happened. He always seemed glad to spend time with him, but there was a certain… distance between them now. It always seemed like Akira was holding himself back--not that Goro wasn’t also doing the same. It often felt like they were trying hard not to tread on shards of glass, wondering where the boundaries lay.

_Am I wrong to keep hoping we can be together again, like before…?_

He'd lost count of the number of times he'd wanted to say something and didn't; how many texts he'd composed only to anxiously erase them. Sleepless nights spent drowning in memories, in desires, in questions without answers. Afternoons he'd spent at Leblanc, watching as Akira carefully brewed coffee and feeling slightly jealous of the equipment for having Akira's attention. Wishing they'd sit close enough for even a brief touch, so he could convey what he wanted without words...

_It's pathetic, isn't it? That I'm still..._

In mid-July, Goro found himself wrestling with a particularly nasty term paper. He brought his laptop with him to Leblanc: not just because he found it easier to get his work done there, but because it was for his art history course. If anyone could help him make sense of it, he knew Akira could.

Akira came over to pour his coffee personally today, instead of leaving it on the counter for him to collect. Goro couldn’t help watching his hands as he did so--bony, and a little calloused from burns. Just what he would expect from someone working with hot water and coffee equipment. He found himself recalling the way those hands used to fit so perfectly in his…

“What’re you working on today, Goro?”

Goro jumped, snapping out of his thoughts.

“Oh, just my art history paper.” He smiled disarmingly. “I’m a little stuck on it, so I figured I’d come to you for help. Oh, let me pay for the coffee while you’re here… ”

Goro reached into his schoolbag and got out his wallet, fumbling for a 1000-yen bill. Akira tilted his head as he did so.

“Your wallet…”

“Huh?”

“What’s that red thing sticking out of it?”

Goro flushed as if he'd been caught in the middle of a theft.

“It’s, well…”

After taking a second to debate whether he even had to answer, Goro delicately pulled the card out to show him. Akira’s eyes widened as he realized what it was. The fancy letter A, faded and worn, was nonetheless unmistakable.

“All this time…” he said quietly, “I thought for sure you would have tossed it…”

“S-shut up…” Goro hastily stuffed the card back into his wallet, “I have to work on my paper now. We’ll talk more at your lunch break.”

“Hm? I thought you came here to get my help.”

“Changed my mind. I don’t need it.”

“Suit yourself. But there’s two more hours until I get to have lunch.”

“I’ll manage.”

“Mmhm. Sure you will.”

Goro finally managed to fish a bill out of his wallet. He thrust it into Akira’s hands.

“Just take this, will you? Keep the change.”

“Thanks for your patronage, as always. Oh--and Camille died in 1879, not 1897.”

"Huh?"

"Your paper. I couldn't help reading over your shoulder... writing about Monet, I see?"

"So what if I am," Goro huffed, making a particular show of getting back to work. Akira laughed.

"I'll leave you to it."

Smiling to himself, Akira returned to his place behind the counter, and Goro settled in grudgingly to work on his paper. Akira's observation had been correct: the paper was about Monet. Goro's task was to evaluate the impact of a single artist on an art movement, and he'd chosen the one painter he felt he knew enough about to craft a good argument. Normally, the calm atmosphere of Leblanc was enough to keep him focused--but now, his head swimming with unrelated thoughts, Goro could barely put sentences together on the page.

_You really did have an influence on me. No wonder I still can’t let go of how I felt back then._

The hours passed dreadfully slowly. At long last, Goro felt a tap on his shoulder, and looked up to see Akira--he’d hung up his apron, indicating that he was on break. Leaving his now-empty mug on the counter and gathering his things, Goro followed his friend upstairs.

The attic at Leblanc was as dusty as usual, but over the last few weeks it had become more familiar. The posters were all in the same places, the knicknacks carefully arranged. Akira pulled a chair over to the bed, the same as usual, so that Goro could sit down on it. He took a seat on the bed, waiting for Goro to join him.

“So you wanted to talk,” said Akira. “Is it about your paper?”

“Don’t be stupid.” Goro sat down and folded his arms. “Akira--are we ever going to talk about this?”

“About what?”

“About _us_.”

“Oh.”

“You can’t just--!” Goro paused, mentally revising his sentence before he said something he’d regret. “Listen. We can’t keep putting this off. We were dating for an entire year, and we’re just going to pretend--?”

“Eight and a half months, but close enough.”

“We were having _sex_.”

“We were.” Akira grinned. “Man, did we ever have sex…”

Goro flushed in spite of himself.

“Can you please, _please_ be serious about this?”

“Sorry…”

“What I was going to say, is--those aren’t things I can take lightly. It’s not something I can just walk away from so easily. Not without closure.”

“Y… yeah, alright…” Akira smiled wryly, “We did break it off kind of suddenly.”

“Only _kind of?”_

“Okay, really suddenly.”

Goro let out an irritated sigh.

“I think I need that closure more than anything else,” he said. “It’s fine if we can’t be together like that anymore. I can deal with having to move on. But before I can move on, I have to know if what you felt for me back then was real. Just… tell me that much.”

It was a long time before Akira could come up with a response. When he finally did speak, it almost seemed as if he was a different person. The playful demeanor he usually had was gone now.

“Goro…” he began, “When I said I was in love with you from day one, that I’d be here for you no matter what--I meant it. I lied about a lot of things, but I promise you I wouldn’t lie about something like that. I know my word probably doesn’t mean that much now, but… that’s the truth. Take it or leave it.”

At those words, Goro’s heart leaped into his throat.

“So you really did…”

“Did? Like I ever stopped?” Akira grimaced, looking away, “I still can’t even go a day without thinking about you. It’s taken all of my self control not to text you every other minute the last two months.”

“Why didn’t you?”

“Because…” Akira bit his lip, “I didn’t want to assume we could just pick up where we left off. After what happened at the Louvre… what I did to you…”

“Ah. That’s… understandable.”

Goro himself had spent the last two months thinking the same thing. Wondering if he could trust Akira, after everything that happened. Wondering if Akira would be offended if he acted on his need to draw closer…

There was an uncomfortable silence between them. Akira seemed to be looking for something to say to fill the quiet, but each time he opened his mouth, he thought better of it, and withdrew. Finally, Goro made up his mind to say something.

_It’s now or never. Now that I know how he feels._

“I’ve… been thinking about this for a while,” he admitted. “And I think what I want to say is, what happened in France is in the past. I can’t change that you were Arsene, just as you can’t change that I was a detective. But… things are different now, I hope. I’m just a regular student, and so are you.”

Goro looked at his hands nervously.

“And I’ve decided that, after everything that’s happened… If you’re up for it, I still want to try being with you. I want to try ‘us’ again. Honestly, this time--no more lies.”

A pause.

“Huh,” said Akira, “Gonna be honest, I didn’t think you would want me back.”

“You know you’re making this difficult, don’t you?” said Goro.

“Sorry…”

“Don’t misunderstand me. I was plenty mad at you, and still am,” said Goro, “But I can’t just let go of the feelings I had for you. After all you did for me… For better or worse, I am where I am now because of you.”

He smiled weakly.

“I suppose love really is blind…”

Goro’s throat tightened around the words.

“So… I want to give it another shot. To see if we can make this work. It might be selfish, and it’s _probably_ a bad idea, but… I have to know if ‘us’ is still possible.”

The look on Akira’s face at that moment was enough to make Goro’s heart jump.

“I… I want that too,” he said quietly, “Goro… I want you more than anything, and believe me, I’m relieved to hear you still feel the same way.”

Akira leaned forward, holding his head in his hands.

“But I just… I don’t know if I deserve to have you back, after what I did…”

“What are you saying--?” said Goro, “Do you even hear yourself?”

“Huh?” Akira looked back up.

“It’s never been about ‘deserving’,” Goro continued indignantly, “I’m here for you whether you deserve me or not. Wasn’t that what you told me back then? That you, of all people, would make a fuss out of ‘deserving’... I’m disappointed in you.”

Akira stared at him for a long time, and Goro worried that he’d spoken too harshly. He scrambled to think of something else to say, but before he could get another word out, Akira opened his mouth to respond.

“You’re right,” he said finally, laughing a little. “You’re totally right. Thank you for that… Guess I should practice what I preach, huh.”

“And stop wallowing in regret. It’s not a good look on you.”

Akira laughed at this, more loudly this time.

“I missed you…” he said, “ _God_ , I missed you…”

Goro scooted his chair a little closer.

“Well, I’m here now, so…”

Before he could figure out how he wanted that sentence to end, Akira leaned forward and finished it for him.

Goro had almost forgotten what it felt like to be kissed; to share this kind of intimacy with someone. With his memory refreshed, he found himself wishing he’d said something sooner. He’d been longing for this closeness for a while, and now that he knew Akira had felt the same, all this time…  

It was a long time before they parted.

“I missed this,” Akira whispered.

“Me too…”

Akira reached up to the nape of Goro’s neck, pulling him into another kiss. Goro was all too happy to oblige. The warmth of Akira’s skin on his was comforting, somehow. Like coming home after a long day.

Goro leaned back to catch his breath, and Akira took the opportunity to scoot back a little on the bed.

“Come here,” he said, “We’ve got a few minutes still…”

Goro carefully climbed into Akira’s lap, taking a minute or two to find a comfortable seat.

_It really has been a while…_

Akira wrapped his arms around Goro’s waist and sighed contentedly. They gazed at each other in silence for a little while, each still trying to convince themselves that this was real. Goro took in all the details of Akira's face, familiar and close--nothing had changed, really, in six months. Akira was still Akira, still looking at Goro as though he were as exquisite as a master's painting. He still wasn't quite used to being looked at that way. It made his heart tremble, knowing that gaze was only for him... 

“You smell nice,” said Akira quietly, taking another deep breath. “I can't put my finger on what it is. But it's nice.”

“ _You_ smell like coffee,” Goro shot back.

“Is that a bad thing?”

“Not at all,” Goro shook his head, leaning in, “It suits you, somehow.”

Their lips met tenderly at first; before long, though, Goro let his tongue wander a little. Akira jumped as it tickled his lip, but he seemed eager to respond in kind. The two of them traded needy kisses, each just a bit sloppier than the last. Goro didn't want it to stop; he wanted to go on like this until everything else fell away and only Akira's touch remained. The dizzying thrill of knowing that Akira wanted him too, just as badly.

“Whew,” said Akira when they finally parted to catch their breath, “I’m impressed. Who taught you to kiss like that?”

“ _You_ , idiot,” said Goro tersely. He couldn’t help smiling anyway.

“Oh right,” Akira’s tone suggested he’d known all along, “Nice one, past me.”

“You’re insufferable.”

“Oh, you love me anyway.”

Goro grabbed the back of Akira’s head and pressed their lips together; half to continue where they’d left off, and half to make his obnoxious boyfriend shut up.

_I don’t care if you’re Arsene. That’s what I decided that day, and I’m sticking to it. So long as I can be with you…  If that makes me your accomplice, then so be it. I’ve already accepted that fate._

Lost in each other like this, they barely noticed the sound of footsteps coming up the stairs.

“Hey kid, break time’s over--oh.”

Goro froze, and Akira tensed beneath him. He turned toward the source of the voice, face growing redder by the second. It was Akira’s boss. For a few minutes there was only silence as both parties parsed what they were seeing.

“Don’t let me interrupt,” said the bearded man finally.

“Oh, um, sorry…” For once, Akira’s face was just as red as Goro’s. “Give me a minute, Sojiro, I’ll be right down--!”

“No, no, it’s fine, I get it,” Sojiro smirked. “I was a kid in love once too, you know. The shop’s pretty empty right now, so I’ll give you some time to wrap it up.”

“T….. thank you….” Akira mumbled.

“But just so you know, you’re not getting paid for going over your lunch break. And try to keep the noise to the minimum.”

“I will, boss.”

As Sojiro retreated down the stairs, Goro clumsily removed himself from Akira’s lap. It was a while before either of them could come up with anything to say. Goro didn’t think he’d ever _seen_ Akira this embarrassed--usually, he had the shame of an exhibitionist.

“You call your boss by his first name?” he said, trying to dispel the tension a little.

“It’s a long story…” said Akira, “Sojiro’s like family to me, so…”

“I see…”

“Let’s head back downstairs,” said Akira, smiling, “I can give you a hand with that paper. I'll even make sure you typed all the dates right.”

“Oh, shut up--!”

Akira laughed, and Goro couldn't help laughing in spite of himself. As they headed back toward the stairs, Akira’s hand found its way to Goro’s. Their fingers linked together almost automatically; months of separation hadn't dimmed their muscle memory. Goro gave his partner's hand a gentle squeeze.

_Ah… it’s just the way I remember._

_Perfect._


	5. Rumors

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A certain former phantom thief arrives to work with a few minutes to spare.

It was just after noon. Having eaten lunch in their neighborhood station, Akira Kurusu made his way to downtown Tokyo for the start of his shift. At this hour the trains were less crowded; he could take a seat and make some headway on the book he’d been reading.

From the station at Ginza-Itchome, it was a short walk to the tall, multi-use building he reported to every day. He got into the elevator with a couple of salarymen returning from lunch and a pair of camera-wielding tourists. It was a quick and quiet ride to the seventh floor; the elevator opened to a short hallway and glass doors marked “The Bridgestone Museum”. The tourists followed him as he got off, and he held the doors open for them.

“Afternoon, Kurusu-kun,” said the receptionist as he walked in. He nodded to her kindly, but didn’t say anything back. He only had a few minutes to get changed before his shift. He slipped through a door marked “Employees Only,” beyond which was a sort of crowded staff room. He found his locker and quickly took out his uniform, stowing his bag.

_Uniform, check. Radio, check. Badge, check…_

And so, the former phantom thief transformed once again into a humble security guard.

The irony was not lost on him. He’d initially shown Goro the job listing, mostly as a joke. (“With all your experience on museum security, you’d be a perfect fit!” he’d teased. Goro did not find it as amusing as he did). Then, on a whim, he’d decided to apply for it himself--after all, the Bridgestone Museum hosted a collection of Impressionist paintings, and he guessed that he might have a few skills that would come in handy. Smartly, he left all his thievery off his resume.

Surprisingly enough, he was hired: the museum was short-staffed following their recent reopening, and he was promised the opportunity to fill in when they needed an extra tour guide. It wasn’t exactly what he’d pictured himself doing, fresh out of college--but really, had he “pictured” himself doing anything? At least here, he had the opportunity to put what he’d learned to use. That would suffice for now. He hoped that once the museum filled out their staff a little more, he could get promoted to full-time guide…

“Kurusu-kun?” The staff room door opened, and one of his coworkers slipped inside. “Oh, good, you’re here. There’s a big ol’ tour coming at 1:30, and I’ve gotta take my lunch break. Can you keep an eye on them? It’s a bunch of middle schoolers.”

“Sure thing.”

“Thanks man, you’re a lifesaver.”

His coworker strode over to his own locker, removing his badge as he went. Suddenly, he seemed to remember something.

“Oh, Kurusu-kun, you’re the guy that studied in France, right?”

“Paris, yeah,” said Akira, “Why?”

“And when was that?”

“About five years ago now, give or take… again, why?”

“Ohh, if you were in Paris five years ago…!” his coworker’s eyes lit up, “You were there when that phantom thief was active--Arsene!”

Akira stared at him, but recovered quickly.

“Oh, yeah. I remember hearing about that guy.” He was relieved that lying still came easily for him. “He was big news when I was there… why are you asking me all this, Tachibana-san?”

_He couldn’t be an undercover cop, could he? Have I been found out--?_

“Oh, well I saw that NHK is gonna have this big special about Arsene in a few weeks,” Tachibana continued, “I’d never heard of him before, so I looked him up--it sounds like he was a really big deal in France for a while.”

“I see…”

“A vigilante who steals art for justice! A thief who takes aim at people’s hearts!" Tachibana made a 'gun' gesture with his hands to illustrate, winking. "Sounds like something out of a movie, doesn’t it? Anyway, I figured I’d let you know about it, since I knew you studied in France.”

“Right. Thanks for telling me. Maybe I’ll tune in?”

“You should! And I’m gonna record it, so you can watch it at my place if you miss it.”

“Thanks, Tachibana-san. Don’t you have lunch to be getting to?”

“Oh, right--! I’ll catch you later, Kurusu-kun.”

Tachibana grabbed his things, shut his locker, and hurried back out to the museum. Akira smiled to himself as the door closed.

_Heh. If only he knew the famous phantom thief was standing right in front of him..._

The TV program did worry him a little, though. Was it just an overview of Arsene’s work, or would there be experts on board to talk about it? He wondered if Goro had heard anything--after all, he’d been the top expert on Arsene at the time. Well, the top expert after Akira himself.

He made a note to tune in before putting his phone back in his locker.

_Working this job, I guess I’m making up for my time as Arsene, in a way._

He still didn’t regret what he’d done. Returning stolen artifacts to their rightful owners wasn’t something he would ever regret. Back then he’d had little to lose; it had been fun to live a double life as an art world vigilante. A hero of justice hidden in shadow. But things were different now. He had someone to come home to, and the risks of moonlighting as a phantom thief now outweighed the momentary thrill. He knew there were ways he could make a difference in the art world without putting himself in danger.

Helping others understand art was one of them.

He didn’t often admit it, but it was his time with Goro in France that inspired him to take this path. Seeing how his partner’s face lit up as he explained each piece… If Akira could help everyone make that kind of connection with art, he would be satisfied.

He glanced down at his left hand, where a silver ring sparkled from his fourth finger.

_I’ll do my best today for your sake, too._

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> By the way - the [Bridgestone Museum](http://www.bridgestone-museum.gr.jp/en/) is real, and the story of how it came about is fascinating. Unfortunately it's closed for renovations until 2019, but fanfiction doesn't have to follow real life!


	6. Hatsumoude

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Since they'd been together, Akira was in the habit of taking Goro out to the local shrine for the first visit of the new year. But perhaps this year is a little different...?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> [Hatsumoude](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hatsum%C5%8Dde) = first shrine visit of the new year.
> 
> Out of laziness I just decided to have Goro and Akira live in the same neighborhood I did when I was studying abroad lmao (their apartment is based on my host mom's, too...)

_I don’t really think about “fate” until it’s convenient for me, but there are plenty of times when the word “coincidence” doesn’t quite cover it. That day was one of them._

/ /

The new year drifted in with a dusting of snow, and flakes were still falling as Akira and Goro set out for their first shrine visit of the year. It was a tradition that Akira had insisted on keeping; Goro didn’t really feel one way or another about shrines, but he humored his boyfriend all the same. Usually the two of them would join the throngs gathered at Meiji Shrine in downtown Tokyo, but for their first _Hatsumoude_ since moving to the suburbs, they decided it would be much easier to go to the smaller shrine in the next township over. It was about a fifteen-minute walk from their apartment, compared to the hour-long slog it would have been to head into the city.

Inage Sengen shrine was known locally as a shrine popular with children, and aside from the larger crowd, today was no different. The line to make an offering stretched all the way to the street, and most of the people standing in it were young families. Goro and Akira waited patiently for their turn, occasionally shifting to let little kids run by. Akira found himself wondering what it might be like to raise a child with Goro someday… Though he didn’t consider himself particularly good with kids, and he kind of doubted Goro was either. Maybe a childless existence would be for the better, at least for now. There were other hurdles they’d have to cross first. Akira was still trying to convince his boyfriend to let him get a cat.

After what seemed like ages, their turn at the offertory box finally came. The snow had stopped by then, and the crowd had begun to thin somewhat. The two of them took their places side by side, tossing a few coins into the box. _Plunk, plunk, clatter._ For Akira, it was a nostalgic sound. When he’d lived with his parents in the countryside, they’d never missed a single New Year’s shrine visit.

Akira rang the bell, sending a tinny sound echoing into the winter air. He bowed, and Goro followed suit next to him. Straightening up, he clapped his hands together in prayer.

_What should I wish for this year? I guess I’m pretty happy where I am. I have a job in a field I like, a loving boyfriend, an apartment with a washing machine… I’ve really got it made. Hm… financial success seems too boring…_

Akira peeled an eye open, glancing at Goro by his side. The peaceful look on his partner’s face made his heart flutter a little. He knew Goro didn’t care much for tradition, but he seemed to be taking it seriously anyway: he stood before the shrine with all the serenity of a Buddha. Akira couldn’t help wondering what his boyfriend was praying for so earnestly…

_Ah, I know. That’s what I’ll wish for._

Akira closed his eyes again. He repeated the wish three times in his head, just to be sure, before clapping his hands twice. Two more claps joined his soon after. The two of them bowed a final time before moving to let others have a turn. Akira took a slight detour, heading down a less-crowded side path that would take them back to the exit.

“Another _Hatsumoude_ down,” said Goro, letting out a sigh. His breath clouded the air in front of him. “I think I’m getting the hang of it.”

“Good,” said Akira, half-distractedly. The image of Goro’s peaceful face was still imprinted on his mind. “I hope you made a good wish. I sure did.”

“What did you wish for?” asked Goro.

“Me?” said Akira, “Well…”

He looked up bashfully.

“I wished… to spend as much time with you as I can from now on. Maybe my whole life, even.”

Akira walked a few more paces before noticing his boyfriend had stopped walking. He turned around quizzically. Goro stood a few feet back with his hands in his pockets. The look of admiration on his face was enough to make Akira's heart skip a beat.

“Goro?”

“I can make that wish come true.”

He took a few steps forward, bringing something forth from his pocket. A small black box, with something silver glinting inside…

“It’s something I’ve been thinking about for a while, and…”

He held out the box, fully opened now--but Akira had already guessed what was in it.

“... you may not remember, but when we met up again, you told me you owe me your life. After all these years, I’ve finally thought of a way that you can repay me.”

“Oh?” said Akira.

“It’s… spending the rest of your life at my side.” Goro smiled warmly. Was the crisp air bringing out the color in his cheeks, or was it something else? “If you want, that is…”

A plain, silver ring sparkled from the black velvet lining. No fancy gemstones or engravings--not that Akira had expected any. Something eye-catching or intricate wasn’t Goro’s style. The ring had meaning enough on its own.

“So… will you…?” His confidence seemed to falter slightly as the magnitude of what he was asking settled in. “Will you marry me?”

At first Akira could only stare at him. He already knew what his answer would be, of course, but it took a minute to sink in that Goro had actually come out and asked him directly. He’d anticipated having to be the one to ask, and now…

_I can’t believe this. Five minutes ago I made a wish, and now my prayers are already answered? The gods don’t get paid enough for service this good. I’m gonna get right back in line and toss my whole wallet in the offertory box._

_I mean, there’s no way he planned this in advance, right…?_

Finally, gathering his thoughts into something more coherent, Akira walked toward Goro and came to stand just in front of him.

“How long have you been carrying that ring in your pocket, waiting for me to casually bring up marriage?” he asked quietly.

“..... a few months now…” Goro admitted, flushing.

At that, Akira's internal "Intent to Kiss" meter rose to 20%.

“You could’ve just told me, you dork.”

“I know, but something like this ought to be special…”

_Intent to Kiss - 40%._

Akira smiled. He put his hands atop his boyfriend’s, closing the ring between them.

“Of course I’ll marry you, Goro. If that’s all it takes to repay what you did for me, I’m practically selling you short.”

Goro laughed to himself.

“You always come up with such good lines… I’m jealous. It took me weeks to think of what I was going to say for this.”

“Practice makes perfect,” said Akira, grinning, “You’ll just have to flirt with me more often.”

‘Well, I’ll have plenty of opportunities going forward, won’t I?”

He took the ring out of the box. Akira let him tug the glove off his left hand before sliding the ring onto his finger, and he took a moment to admire it. It was simple, unassuming... and yet, it seemed to complement his hand. There was a certainty about it that he liked.

“Can I ask why silver?” he said, “Not that I mind, but people traditionally use gold, don’t they?”

“That’s true,” said Goro, “But I think silver suits us better. Its chemical symbol is Ag--like **A** kira and **G** oro.”

Akira could only stare at him.

_That’s adorable. You’re adorable. How did I end up with such a cute boyfriend?! A cute boyfriend who’s going to be my cute husband--?!_

As the reality of the situation fully dawned on him, Akira’s “Intent to Kiss” meter flooded to maximum. He reached up, taking Goro’s head in his hands, and pressed their lips together without another word. Goro let out a startled squeak.

“Akira--!” he pulled away, “We’re at a _shrine_ \--!”

“What, you don’t think the gods will appreciate a job well done?”

“It’s disrespectful to the other guests!”

“Fine,” Akira took Goro’s hand instead, “Then we’re going straight home, and I’m going to snog the shit out of you.”

“Not so loud!” Goro’s face was about as red as the _torii_ they’d passed through to get here, “There are _children_ \--!”

“What do they care?”

Even so, noticing the look of frustration on Goro’s face, Akira relented. Hand in hand, the two of them made their way toward the exit. The snow crunched beneath their feet, but the sky above them was beginning to clear. 

“Oh, I never got to ask,” said Akira, remembering something, “What was _your_ wish, Goro?”

“Huh?”

“You asked me about mine, so I figured I’d ask you too. You looked so peaceful back there...almost like an angel.”

“Really?” Goro laughed. “I didn’t feel peaceful at all--I was so nervous, I thought I was going to throw up…”

“Nervous about _what?_ What were you wishing for??”

“I know I’m supposed to wish for happiness or good grades or things like that, but I actually spent the whole time wishing you’d say yes… I’m surprised it didn’t show on my face.”

“So you _were_ planning to ask me here.”

“Well… yes. I’d hoped to steer the conversation that way, but miraculously, you provided an in right away…”

“Miraculously, huh?” Akira gave his boyfriend’s--no, his _fiance’s_ \--hand a squeeze. “Maybe the gods really _did_ grant my wish…”

“That’s nonsense, but it’s cute that you think that.”

“You don’t believe in things like gods?”

“Of course not.”

“But you believe in fate.”

“This and that are two different things.”

“Juuuuust keep telling that to yourself, buddy.”

“Oh shut up, jerk.”

By now, “jerk” was just as much of a pet name as “honey” or “babe”. They’d spent much of the last two and a half years teasing each other mercilessly, and Akira had to admit that Goro was getting pretty good at it. Though, he did miss the days when he could make Goro flush in an instant…

Maybe he’d just have to come up with more and more outrageous things to say to him?

“What are you grinning about?” asked Goro, noticing the look on Akira’s face.

“Oh, _nothing_ ~”

“Yeah, right. You’re a terrible liar.”

“Maybe I was thinking about all the things I want to do to you once we get home?”

“S-sheesh…” Goro looked away, “Why do I go anywhere with you?”

“Youuuu did this. You chose _meeeee_ ~” Akira squeezed his partner’s hand again, more tightly this time, “This is your life now. Forever.”

“I _did_ choose you, didn’t I,” Goro sighed. “But I don’t regret it. Not for a second.”

Somehow, hearing those words, Akira’s heart felt light.

_Spending the rest of my life with this guy… this amazing, handsome, brilliant, incredible guy…._

_How’d I get so damn lucky?_

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Doodles that go with this chapter can be found [here](http://magu-art.tumblr.com/post/164165000677/1st-shrine-visit-of-the-new-year-been-drawing-a).
> 
> Here is what [Inage Sengen](https://www.tripadvisor.com/Attraction_Review-g298158-d3407193-Reviews-Inage_Sengen_Jinja_Shrine-Chiba_Chiba_Prefecture_Kanto.html) looks like irl, btw. It's a very cute little shrine
> 
> Akira's "Intent to Kiss" meter is a nod to Baccano, and Ladd Russo's "Intent to Kill" meter. idk if yall could tell im a fan of Ryohgo Narita's writing style, buuuuut
> 
> ____
> 
> For those who can read Chinese, [FYSPlantain](https://archiveofourown.org/users/FYSPlantain/pseuds/FYSPlantain%22) was kind enough to translate this chapter into Chinese!!! You can read that [here](http://fysplantain.lofter.com/post/1d4f87df_124dde43?act=qbwaptag_20160216_05) on Lofter! ~~I can't read a word of it but it's so cool.... ;u;~~


	7. Something Spicy

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> well, you know. they're married.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> _Rating note: this chapter is sexually explicit._
> 
>  
> 
> Sorry for the delay on this one! It turns out writing sex scenes comes about as easily as pulling teeth lmao. ~~if only i didn't cram them full of character moments and witty banter that wouldn't work anywhere else... damn you, brain!~~
> 
> Oh also, I sketched the layout of their apartment to help get my thoughts in order writing this; you can find that [here](https://twitter.com/MaguSays/status/888658548330086400). It's based on my host mom's in Japan which is why there seem to be entirely too many doors. I didn't quite capture the narrowness of the kitchen, though...

The first thing Akira noticed when he walked in the door was that the apartment smelled delicious--not the lingering scent of dinner from hours ago, but that of freshly-cooking onions. The TV was on in the other room, tuned to some channel or other. Akira could hear comedians laughing as he untied his shoes.

“Honey, I’m home!” he called out.

“Welcome home!” his fiance’s voice answered from the kitchen. They’d been living together nearly a year now, but it was still nice to have someone greet him when he returned. Sliding into his slippers, Akira went to go put his things down in the bedroom. He glimpsed Goro through the kitchen as he went.

_Making dinner at this hour? It’s almost ten…_

His bag, phone, and keys deposited in their normal places, Akira came back out to the kitchen. It was a narrow space almost like a hallway, and there was barely enough room to pass each other--perfect, of course, for what Akira had in mind.

“Whatcha up to, babe?” he asked, peering over Goro’s shoulder.

“I got distracted, and ended up starting dinner late…” Goro didn’t take his eyes off the pan, where onions sizzled merrily in a bit of oil, “Wikipedia is truly a black hole of information…”

“What were you learning about?”

“I started at Rasputin because I needed to confirm something for class, but by the time I looked up I’d somehow wandered into articles about American cryptids….”

“Wikipedia does that to you.” Akira smiled, “What’re you having for dinner?”

“Yakisoba… would you like some? I can make more.”

“I had dinner at work, but thanks.”

Akira scooted closer to him and gently put his hands on his partner’s waist.

“Can I help you?” Goro asked flatly.

“Nah, I’m good.”

Akira’s hands began to wander a little, traveling over Goro’s hips, and down to the top of his thighs…

“I’m trying to cook,” Goro informed him.

“I know,” Akira replied, grinning, “And I’m spicing it up for you.”

“Ugh, move, I have to get the beef going.”

Akira gave his fiance’s ass a gentle squeeze as he backed off. Goro jumped, letting out a yelp.

“ _Must_ you??”

Akira laughed.

“Sorry. Messing with you never gets old.”

“You don’t sound sorry at all.”

There was a _sizzle_ as the beef hit the oily pan. Goro stirred a little to make sure the onions and meat were distributed evenly.

“Smells good,” said Akira, coming up behind his partner again, “I’m getting hungry all the sudden.”

“Again, you’re welcome to have some.”

“Mm, but I think I’m hungry for something else…”

Akira reached up, one hand sneaking beneath Goro’s apron. With his free hand he took hold of one of the ties, yanking the knot loose.

“Something a little spicier.”

“Well, your sexual appetite is going to have to wait.” Goro continued working valiantly despite Akira’s efforts to distract him. “My _actual_ appetite takes precedence. I’ll take care of you after dinner.”

Akira pouted.

“ _Fine_ ,” he said, “I’ll leave you alone for now. Will you let me know when you’re done?”

“I will, I will…”

Akira left Goro to cook in peace, slinking back into the bedroom. He supposed he could use the time to freshen up. His job wasn’t particularly strenuous, but it did get warm in the museum during the summer. He changed into a clean shirt, and put on a fresh pair of boxers--he rarely bothered with pants anymore, now that he was living in his own apartment. At Leblanc he’d had considerably less privacy.

Before heading back out to the living room, Akira made sure their bottle of lube and a few condoms were within easy reach on the nightstand. Just in case.

_I wonder if I should fuck him gently, or just let my lust run wild? Hm… well, if he’s up for sex tonight, maybe I’ll let him pick?_

Busying himself with all manner of inappropriate thoughts, Akira took a seat on the couch. Goro had the volume turned up on the TV so he could hear it while he cooked, but Akira hardly paid any attention. Comedians had made way for a nightly news bulletin--not that there was much to report on.

_Oh right, wasn’t NHK doing a special on Arsene? I wonder when that is…_

Akira waited as patiently as possible for Goro to get through his meal. A late-night drama started, and he was able to watch that half-interestedly to keep his mind off things. The second he heard the _clink_ of Goro setting down his chopsticks, Akira stood up and strode over to him.

“I’m finished,” said Goro, looking up, “Give me a moment to do the dishes, and--!”

Akira leaned in and kissed him. The taste of onion and yakisoba sauce was still fresh on his lips.

“A-Akira!?”

“.... can I be a little selfish?” Akira asked as he straightened up, “We can get the dishes later…”

“You really are impatient tonight, aren’t you?” Goro smiled, “I suppose I shouldn’t keep you waiting, then.”

He stood up, gathering his plate and chopsticks.

“Let me at least put this in the sink on the way. Can you get the TV?”

Akira was happy to oblige him--anything to speed things along.

The two of them met up again in the bedroom. Goro took a seat on the bed while Akira shut the door--not that there was anyone to intrude on their privacy, but for some reason, Akira preferred to have a closed room whenever he took his fiance to bed. It wasn’t a privilege he’d had at Leblanc.

“You know,” said Akira, “I’ve been thinking about you all day. All the things I want to do to you. It was hard to focus on my work.”

“ _Really_ ,” Goro smiled at him coyly, “You weren’t exactly subtle about it earlier. Dare I ask what you had in mind?”

“Well… I had a few ideas, but I’ll let you choose. Would you like it spicy or sweet tonight?”

“Spicy or…?” Goro tilted his head slightly.

“If you pick sweet, I’ll lay you down gently,” said Akira, “I’ll go nice and slow, and make sure to fuck you just the way you like it.”

“And if I pick spicy…?”

“If you pick spicy, I’ll break out a few of our toys and we can ‘spice it up’ a little.” Akira grinned at him. “Well? It’s your choice. Spicy or sweet? Or nothing--you can say no if you’re not up to it tonight.”

“No, no, I want to…”

Goro seemed to ponder the options for a few minutes. After a while he averted his gaze, color gathering in his cheeks.

“.... spicy….” he mumbled shyly.

“Mm, that’s what I like to hear,” Akira’s smile widened, “Let me grab those toys. I think _you_ get to pick which one we start with.”

Akira walked over to the closet, where he kept a number of sex toys in a shoebox--not that he himself was embarrassed by them, but Goro didn’t like seeing them strewn around when they weren’t needed. He picked out three that he knew Goro liked: a simple pink dildo, a small, nondescript butt plug; and something a little sexier, with a shaft that varied in width. Already plotting what he would do with each of them, Akira returned to the bed.

“Alright. How about these?”

Goro’s flush deepened as his eyes passed over each of the toys in turn.

_Watching his face at times like these might be my favorite part…_

Goro spent a long time considering. Just as Akira was about to threaten to pick for him, he reached out and pointed to the plug.

“So long as we’re just starting with this…” he said quietly.

“Of course,” said Akira. He went over and placed the other two toys on the nightstand, just in case. “The night is young.”

Goro furrowed his brow.

“It’s almost eleven, though--!”

Akira was back at Goro’s side in an instant; he pressed their lips together, cutting him off midsentence.

“Details, details,” he whispered as they parted, “Now, should we get these clothes out of the way?”

“Y-yes…”

Akira took a seat next to him.

“Why don’t you strip for me?”

Goro nodded quietly, and kept his eyes on Akira as he began to unbutton his shirt. Akira twiddled the butt plug in his fingers as he watched; his desire grew as each button came undone. He’d seen his fiance naked plenty of times, to be sure--but the act of going from clothed to naked, seeing just a _little_ more skin as each button popped free, was unfailingly arousing.

Goro stood to more easily remove his pants, and Akira’s eyes flicked downward.

_Good, looks like I’ve already got him going._

“Alright,” said Goro as his underwear dropped to the floor, “Now what?”

“Hmm…” Akira put a hand to his chin, thinking briefly, “Here--why don’t you lay down in my lap? You know--for easy access.”

Goro flushed again, but he was eager to comply. He climbed on the bed and crawled into Akira’s lap, draping himself over his partner’s legs. Akira took a moment to admire him--the way his soft hair fell around his nape, the subtle angles of his back, the perfect curve of his ass… And, to his excitement, he could feel Goro’s erection against his thigh.

_Ah, this is going to be a fun evening._

“Do you remember the safeword?” Akira asked, running his fingers along his partner’s back. Goro shivered a little before responding.

“ _Water lilies_.”

“There’s a good boy.”

Akira’s hand migrated down to Goro’s ass, and he gently slipped his fingers between the cheeks. Goro jumped a bit at his touch.

“Here, I’ll warm you up a little. Relax.”

Goro nodded, but he couldn’t help gasping lightly as Akira began to massage him.

“Good?”

“Yeah…” Goro murmured, “Your hands are warm. It feels nice…”

Gradually his body began to loosen; his breathing slowed, and his muscles relaxed. Akira took the butt plug off the bed and reached for the bottle of lube.

“Alright, I’m going to put it in--it’s going to be a little cold.”

“Okay.”

Akira slathered the toy with a generous amount of lube; you could never have too much in this kind of scenario. He held it in his hand to warm it before gently--slowly, but meaningfully--inserting it. Goro gasped as it slid in, gripping the sheets.

“There we go,” Akira made sure it was snugly inside before giving his partner’s ass an affectionate pat, “How’s it feel?”

 _“Perfect…!”_ Goro whispered. His legs were already trembling with excitement.

“Let’s see, what to do with you next…? Why don’t you flip over for me?”

Goro hastily--clumsily--obeyed. He gasped slightly each time he shifted his weight, the plug clearly doing its work. Akira had to try hard not to laugh, seeing his lover so debauched and wanting. Knowing that this incredible sight was for his eyes only.

“ _God_ , you’re hot,” he said finally, taking Goro in his arms, “I could watch you do this all night.”

“But not just watch, I hope,” Goro answered with a weak smile.

“Of course not.”

Now that he had Goro right where he wanted him, Akira was done holding back. He practically dove in, meeting his fiance’s lips hungrily. Goro was quick to answer him, slipping his tongue into Akira’s mouth.

_We’ve done this a million times, but it’s still hard to believe that I ended up with someone as beautiful as you._

Akira’s hands began to wander; one hand held Goro firmly in place, while the other traveled down to his chest. Goro squeaked as Akira teased his nipples.

“T-that’s not fair!” Goro yelped the second Akira let him.

“Shh, the neighbors will hear you, dear.”

Goro bit his lip to keep from crying out as Akira gave his nipple a meaning twist.

“Or maybe you’d like them to hear us…?”

“ _Akira--!”_

“I bet they can hear you. I bet they’re jealous of all the fun we’re having.”

“--You _jerk--!”_

Akira laughed even as he leaned in for another sloppy kiss. Goro reached up and curled his fingers into his hair.

_You’re certainly eager tonight… did I strike a chord, maybe?_

Akira’s hand moved further downward, sneaking between his partner’s legs. His fingers brushed by Goro’s cock _just_ slightly on the way to their real target; Goro whined in disappointment when he realized they wouldn’t be stopping.

“Hm?” Akira drew back, and Goro took a few gasping breaths. “Is there something you’d like me to do?”

“I--!” Even now Goro was too embarrassed to say it; he bit his lip and looked away.

“You want me to give your cock a little attention, don’t you?”

Goro nodded vigorously.

“Mm, sorry, not yet,” Akira smiled. “I think I want to play with you a little more.”

Akira’s hand found its target: the base of the plug. He tapped on it a bit; not enough pressure to move it, but evidently enough sensation that Goro’s breath caught in his throat.

_“Oh--!”_

“Ooh, _that_ was a good sound.”

Akira wiggled the plug just slightly back and forth, and Goro squirmed in his grip.

“Do you like this?”

“Y-yes--!”

“Good.”

Akira leaned in for another kiss, this one gentle--all the while working the plug with his hand. Goro’s voice fell from his mouth in desperate moans.

“Akira… this is--! This is really--!”

“Hm?”

“ _This is really hot_ …” the words came out barely above a whisper; Goro wouldn’t even look at him. Akira laughed quietly, giving the plug a little push.

“I’m glad you think so. _I’m_ enjoying myself.”

He leaned in for another kiss--something to distract his partner while his hand migrated back upwards. Goro jumped as Akira’s fingers closed around his cock.

“There you go.” Akira pulled away just long enough to speak. “Thank you for being so patient.”

Akira gently ran his thumb around the head, eliciting a few bitten-back squeals from his fiance. Goro began to buck into his grip, desperately aching for his partner’s touch. Akira couldn’t help whistling to himself; he was always a little surprised by just how erotic Goro could be when he got going.

“Akira, _please--!”_

“Akira, please _what?”_

“D-don’t make me say it, dick--!”

“No, I want you to say it. How else will I know what you want?”

Another kiss, brief, tender--Akira wordlessly goaded him to speak his mind. At the same time, though, he tightened his grip on his partner’s cock. He had no intention of stopping for even a moment. Watching the normally eloquent Goro struggle to string words together was part of the fun.  

“W-won’t you have a little mercy?” Goro pleaded.

“Sorry, not this time…” said Akira sweetly. Even so, he released Goro’s cock and took his partner’s hand. “You’re mine, after all.”

Akira brought Goro’s hand to his lips, kissing the silver band on his fourth finger.

“This ring is proof.”

Goro’s breath hitched; he withdrew his hand and hid behind it bashfully.

“Oh? Do you like that? Do you like knowing that you’re _mine_?”

“M….maybe…” Goro admitted.

“Well, well, well,” said Akira, “ _This_ is certainly a new side of you.”

Goro wouldn’t meet his partner’s gaze; his face was redder than it had ever been. Akira gently took his chin between his fingers, turning Goro’s head to look at him.

“I want your eyes on me,” he said quietly. “I’d hate for those beautiful eyes of yours to look anywhere else.”

For a split second, Goro’s eyes darted away furtively--did he think Akira wouldn’t notice? For someone skilled in masking his emotions, Goro never had been particularly good at hiding embarrassment. Even less so around Akira.

_Even after all this time, you’re so easily embarrassed… I love that about you._

“Let’s see, what should I do with you next? Maybe another toy? Maybe I’ll make you do something for _me_ …?” Akira mused. “So many options…”

“I…!” Goro spoke up.

“Hm?”

“I-I don’t really care what, as long as…”

“As long as I get you off?”

“.... y eah….”

“Oh, don’t worry,” said Akira with a sly smile, “I fully intend to make a complete mess of you before the night is out. The only question is how…”

Akira’s hand wandered back downward, and Goro let out an impatient whine.

_When you’re too horny for words… ah, that’s the best…_

“Well, if you want to be fucked so badly, I guess it would be cruel to keep you waiting.”

Akira gave his fiance’s cock a squeeze.

“Why don’t you lie down for me?” he whispered, “Any position you’d like.”

Goro nodded before complying, but it took him a bit to actually get moving. The plug was, of course, still there--waiting for him each time he tried to move. He whimpered as he shifted awkwardly to the bed. Akira watched him all the while, taking particular pleasure in each bitten-back squeak.

“Mm, you’re so sexy,” Akira practically hummed as he stood up, going to retrieve the dildo from the nightstand. “I really lucked out, getting to see you like this whenever I want. That I have someone as cute, sexy, _incredible_ as you for a husband…”

There was a light gasp from the bed--just as planned. They’d been together long enough that it wasn’t hard to guess what would set him off. Akira couldn’t help laughing to himself as he lubed up the dildo, already planning his next move.

By now Goro had made himself comfortable on the pillows. He’d chosen to lie on his side--or maybe he’d only managed to get that far before giving up? He watched Akira expectantly, though his eyes occasionally darted to the dildo in his hand.

_You know what’s coming, don’t you?_

“Good. Good job keeping those eyes on me.” Akira sat down next to him, his free hand dancing along Goro’s thigh. “Do me a favor and roll over a bit, will you? Let’s get that plug out of the way, and I’ll give you something a little _bigger_ …”

Goro rolled onto his back, and Akira gently took hold of the base of the plug. It came out with a slight _pop_ , and Goro let out a squeak as it left him.

“Alright. Need a breather, or should I just shove this dildo as far as it will go?”

 _“God, fu--!!”_ Goro was on the brink of swearing, but he bit his lip to keep it in.

“Ooh, you liked the sound of that, didn’t you?” Akira smirked. “I bet you want this _deep_ inside you.”

“Y-yes…!!”

“You want it all the way to the hilt, filling you up--!”

“Akira, _please--!!”_

“Mm, begging already? Or--is it because you know I love it when you beg?”

“Ugh, god--!”

“Alright, I’ll stop teasing you.”

The dildo didn’t quite go in as easily as the plug had--it was wider, for one thing--but Akira was careful not to hurt him with it. Once it was inside as far as it would go, he gave it a bit of a wiggle. Goro squirmed.

“That’s all the way in,” Akira purred, “How’s it feel?”

“R-really good…!” Goro had to grasp for the words, “It’s… it’s hitting my--!”

“Like this?” Akira pulled it out just slightly before pushing it back in. Goro yelped.

“Y-yes, right there--agh!”

Akira gave the dildo another meaning push. Goro writhed and bucked against it, desperately trying to leverage whatever he could. Akira felt a surge of lust just watching him, and it was all he could do to keep from taking the dildo back out and fucking Goro himself.

“Good god, _Akira_ …!” Goro moaned, “Please… don’t stop…!”

“Don’t worry, I’ll fuck you good and rough,” Akira reassured him, “Just the way you like it.”

_“Akira--!”_

Akira got down to business, pushing the dildo in a regular rhythm. Goro covered his mouth with the back of his hand, trying to keep his voice down--but it wasn’t long before his desire got the better of him. His voice tumbled haphazardly from his mouth.

_And then, when you totally lose composure…!_

_It’s enough to make me want to fuck you senseless._

Akira could feel the dildo gradually slipping a bit more as he pushed it, and he smiled to himself.

“Ooh, you’re loosening up,” he said languidly, “I bet my cock would fit right inside.”

Goro gasped, looking away.

“Not yet, though. I have some other ideas for how to make you come.”

“G-god, _Akira…_ You’re driving me crazy…”

Akira took hold of Goro’s cock with his free hand, pushing his thumb against the head.

“Oh--!”

“How’s that feel?”

Goro attempted to answer him, but it came out jumbled; there was half a word here and there, but the rest was all ragged breaths and needy gasps.

“That good, huh? Can’t even get a word out?”

Akira started rubbing, gently at first, but gradually his grip tightened. His hands began to move in sync, and Goro’s body helplessly moved to match their rhythm. He was far beyond words now; all he could manage were pitiful, delirious whines. Akira noticed--delightedly--that his fiance’s voice was coming out an octave or so higher than usual.

_Mm, you sing most beautifully when you’re about to come...!_

“Akira--!”

“Yes, dear?”

“I-I’m going to--!”

He couldn’t even finish the sentence; Goro came with an undignified groan, cum splattering across his stomach. Akira kept rubbing to make sure he’d gotten it all out, not even caring that his hand was dripping with it--the important thing was to make sure that Goro was completely satisfied. Once he was certain his fiance was well and truly done, he withdrew, wiping his hand on a tissue and taking a moment to admire his handiwork. Hair mussed, skin shining with sweat, cum splattered everywhere, and a dildo shoved up his ass… Goro was a complete wreck, and Akira had the immense satisfaction of knowing he was the one behind it.

It took a while for Goro to come back down, his breathing slowing. He sat up a little on the pillows and met Akira’s gaze. He’d seen that expression many times by now; enough to identify its component parts: adoration, euphoria, and a little exhaustion…

“You’re a hell of a sight…” Akira commented, “I could get off just looking at you.”

Goro smiled weakly.

“Sorry I came so fast…”

“What are you apologizing for? I’m surprised you didn’t come sooner.”

“Can I get the tissue box…?”

“Hm,” Akira stopped consider, “I don’t know. I think I want to savor the view a little more.”

“Savor the…?” Goro tilted his head.

Akira’s own erection had been begging for attention the last few minutes, and he was loath to keep it waiting. He pulled his boxers down and took hold of his considerably eager cock.

“Oh--!” Goro flushed anew, “Y-you’re going to--!”

“Well, I’m going to have to take care of this boner one way or another.”

“Er…” Goro smiled awkwardly, “I can give you a hand if you want…”

“Do you have any energy left?”

“... no…” Goro conceded. He fell back on the pillows, “I don’t think I can move…”

“Good. Don’t worry about me,” said Akira, “The sight of you like this is more than enough.”

Normally, masturbating in front of someone else wasn’t something Akira would have gone for, but tonight he was a bit too horny to care. He started in, briefly thinking back to those lonely nights before they’d lived together. Long after Leblanc had closed up for the night, yet still biting his lip to keep his voice from spilling out. The walls were thin in Sangen-jaya.

Back then, he’d had to come up with the fantasies himself--not that he had any lack of imagination. But tonight, with his partner lying naked and debased right in front of him… it was more potent than anything he could come up with in his head. He kept his eyes on his fiance, though his vision was a fog of lust.

“Want me to pose…?” Goro offered.

“Pl...ease do…”

Goro smiled, propping himself up with his elbows. At first he seemed a little unsure what to do, but before too long he tilted his head invitingly. He brought his knees up and spread his legs.

_Oh, god, that’s…!_

Akira groaned, gripping himself more tightly.

“Good?” Goro asked.

“Yeah… _Fuck,_ Goro, keep doing that…!”

“Mm, how about this?”

Goro leaned back, letting his arms fall onto the pillows and arching his back.

“ _Goro…!!”_

_Fuck fuck fuck why is he so good at this!?_

The still pose would have been more than enough to take in, but Goro began to gently move his hips up and down--almost as though he were wordlessly begging to be fucked a second time. Akira swore under his breath.

“That’s not fair-- _jesus_ …!!”

“Hm? Who’s not playing fair now?” Goro smiled deviously, “How the tables turn.”

“You little--!”

“Oh~!” Goro let out a very intentional moan. _“Akira~!”_

“Fucking hell, that’s--!”

Goro giggled, but continued moaning--this time managing to sound quite a bit more natural. Akira felt like he was about to lose his mind just hearing it.

“Mm, Akira...!”

_“Goro--!”_

He was getting close now; his body was reaching its limit. That familiar sense of urgency welled up inside him.

“I can help now, if you’d like,” said Goro, “I’m getting my strength back.”

“I-If you’re up to it, then… please…!”

“How about I suck you off?”

Akira drew a ragged breath, heart pounding.

“.... yes please…”

Goro sat up, leaning a pillow against the wall for support. Akira crawled over to him, shedding his boxers along the way. There were a few different ways to go about this, but Akira wasn’t entirely in a position to be thinking about logistics. He straddled his fiance, waiting for Goro to make the next move.

Goro didn’t keep him waiting. He took hold of Akira’s cock to steady it before closing his lips around the head.

_Oh…!! Don’t stop there…!_

Even if it was just the tip, the sensation was overwhelming--and yet Akira wanted more, _deeper_ ; there was so much he wanted Goro to do to him, he couldn’t articulate it all at once. Instead he just let out an incoherent groan, hoping his lover would get the message.

Goro, for his part, understood; it wasn’t hard to guess what Akira wanted. He leaned into it, taking Akira’s cock further into his mouth. Akira watched him, trying hard to hold back the urge to thrust. Watching someone so beautiful go down on him like this… that urge became harder and harder to resist.

Goro pressed his tongue against Akira’s cock, eliciting a yelp of surprise.

“ _God_ , your tongue--!”

“Mm?” Goro’s tongue began to move, and sensation pulsed throughout Akira’s entire body. He could feel a tingling in his toes; his legs were already trembling.

“Don’t stop, please…!”

He couldn’t help but beg; he was conscious only of Goro’s mouth around his cock, and at this point he wasn’t above begging to make sure it stayed there.

“More…!”

Goro seemed to be taking his time, but Akira no longer had the capacity to wait. His hips bucked almost of their own accord, pushing his cock deeper. Goro grunted in surprise, but didn’t make any effort to stop him. Quite the opposite; he gave Akira’s cock a squeeze, as if asking him to keep going. Akira let loose and began to thrust, unable to focus on anything else. Watching Goro struggle to keep up with him, trying hard not to choke…!

_Holy shit, that’s hot...! I’m already--!_

Akira came with a drawn-out moan; his brain wasn’t quite fast enough to announce it before it happened. Goro jumped and pulled back, leaving a trail of cum dribbling down his face as Akira’s cock left his mouth. Akira himself wasn’t faring much better; panting, out of breath, he had to steady himself with one hand on the wall while he worked the rest of the cum out with the other.

_God… that was…._

It took him a while to come back down; he closed his eyes and let the ecstasy spread throughout his limbs. For a time, there was nothing else in the room--only the faint touch of Goro's skin to his, and the deafening rush of his own pulse. The sound of his own labored breathing. When the adrenaline fizzled out and he finally managed to regain some control of his senses, he opened his eyes again. He wasn’t quite ready for the sight that awaited him: Goro’s face was a dripping mess…

“Ah…” he said finally.

“Yeah…” Goro responded. He smiled weakly, “Had fun?”

“God, yeah…” Akira admitted, “That was incredible, Goro. I’m impressed you could handle it at the end.”

“Oh, please. I’ve been doing this for how many years, now?” Goro’s smile widened. “Your dick is nothing I can’t handle.”

“Challenge accepted,” said Akira. “But… maybe next time. I’m totally spent.”

“Me too…” Goro wiped his mouth a little with the back of his hand.

“Let me, uh…” Akira fumbled for the tissue box on the nightstand, “Let’s get you cleaned up.”

Akira climbed out of his partner’s lap and grabbed a couple of tissues. While Goro wiped the cum off his face and chest, Akira helped mop up his stomach. They’d made quite a mess… Luckily, almost none of it had ended up on the sheets; cleanup was an easy task.

“Was that all?” Akira asked, noticing that Goro was finished quickly. “I felt like I came a lot more than that…”

“Er. Not all of it ended up--!”

“Oh. Did… did you swallow it??”

“A little, I think…”

“You could’ve spit it out!!”

“I wasn’t thinking, and it was warm…”

“Ah…”

“It’s fine, Akira,” Goro reassured him. “I’m glad I was able to get you off, at least. While you’re over there, can you help me get the dildo out?”

“Right, yeah.”

Akira reached between his fiance’s legs and gently took hold of the base of the dildo. It slid out with a slight _squelch_ , and Goro jumped.

“Oh!”

“Hah, still not used to that?”

“It’s just. A very specific feeling…”

Akira’s strength was returning to him now; he stood up to deposit their pile of tissues in the trash. With that done, he came to retrieve the dildo and plug.

“I’m going to wash the toys real fast.”

“Okay. I’m not going anywhere.”

Goro smiled at him sleepily, and Akira’s heart melted.

_I really am the luckiest man on earth, with a husband this cute…!_

He couldn’t help grinning to himself all the way to the bathroom sink.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Yet another stealthy doodle for this chapter was posted [here](http://magu-art.tumblr.com/post/163277433057/a-whole-page-of-shuake-my-crowning-achievement-i) (top right corner)
> 
> This chapter and the next one were supposed to be one thing but I split em up bc this sex scene is already a behemoth; probably the longest one ive written to date orz... ~~it was supposed to be relatively short what gives~~


	8. Pillow Talk

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Winding down from an, erm, eventful evening, Goro decides to tell Akira what's been on his mind.

Goro was thoroughly exhausted.

He pulled the sheets over himself and sighed quietly, reflecting on their… _eventful_ evening. At the very least, he’d seen it coming. He’d been thinking about Akira occasionally during the day--after their banter that morning, it had been hard to take his mind off him--so he'd planned for at least _some_ intimacy once they both returned home. He just hadn’t expected they’d go quite so hard that night.

_From the way he fucked me tonight, I’d wager he had a liiiiittle trouble focusing at work today._

He laughed lightly at the thought of Akira trying to hide a boner during his rounds.

_Ah, but he's been on my mind all day too…_

It wasn’t just the usual pining (he didn’t like to admit it, but these days Goro often found himself feeling lonely and adrift when Akira wasn’t with him). Niijima’s phone call earlier had caught him off guard. He knew there was no way they the police could catch Akira now--and even if they could, there was nothing they could do to him--but he still wondered if it was wise to make a public appearance to speak about Arsene. Given what he knew about the investigation, it was still possible someone had traced his old hypothesis back to Akira. If that person did enough digging, it wouldn't be hard to unearth the connection between himself and Arsene. There was now at least one legal record with both their names on it. 

_Relax, Goro. Legally, the case went cold at the start of this year. That was part of why you waited until January to propose to him--so that it couldn't be used against you if the worst were to happen. It doesn't matter if they have all the evidence in the world. There isn't a thing they can do about it now._

Well, in any case. He’d ask Akira about making an appearance; his own stake in this mattered less.

The sound of running water from the bathroom came to a stop. Akira came back into their room and, taking the unused toy off the nightstand, returned the three toys to their box in the closet. He joined Goro in bed slightly after.

“Come here,” he said, lying on his back. Goro gladly took the invitation; he scooted over to him and lay his head on his partner’s chest. Akira reached up to give his fiance a squeeze.

“That was a _great_ fuck,” he remarked.

“You said that already.”

“Well, I wanted to make sure you knew. I don’t want the neighbors knowing something you don’t.”

Goro snorted out the ugliest laugh.

“For _fuck’s sake_ , Akira--!”

But Akira was already giggling uncontrollably, and Goro was, as always, helpless to resist. Their lighthearted laughter filled the room; it was a while before either of them could catch their breath.

“I’m sorry for always making stupid jokes after we have sex,” said Akira. His grin indicated that he wasn’t sorry at all.

Goro sighed in playful resignation.

“If you weren’t making stupid jokes, I’d be worried about you.”

Akira squeezed him again, blissfully; Goro nuzzled in a little closer. He lay his hand absentmindedly on Akira’s chest, and his silver wedding band caught his eye. Plain, unassuming--he’d simply chosen them because they were the most affordable offering in silver. He’d thought briefly about getting them engraved before asking Akira to marry him, but he hadn’t been able to think of anything to put on them. Perhaps, when the two of them finally had a proper ceremony, they’d come up with something together…

“What’s on your mind, babe?”

“Hm?” Goro looked up, “Just thinking about the rings… What do you think about getting them engraved?”

“That might be nice,” said Akira, “What should we put on ‘em?”

“Actually, I was hoping you could help me think of something.”

“Hm…” Akira paused to consider this. “How about… ‘Partner in Crime’?”

“Oh _hell_ no.”

“You are, though!!”

“ _Was_ , and--no, that’s not the point--!”

“My cute, sexy little accomplice…!”

“Do not--!” Goro could feel himself flushing. “Just… let’s think of something else, alright?”

“ _O-kaaaay_ ,” said Akira defeatedly.

With that small reminder of their days in Paris, Goro remembered there was something he needed to ask.

“Oh, Akira? Can I ask you something? It’s… kind of serious.”

“Hm?” Akira shifted his weight to get a better look at him. “Sure.”

“Well… I got a call today from my former partner on the force.”

Goro could feel Akira tense beneath him, and he almost wished he hadn’t said anything.

“It’s fine, you have nothing to worry about,” said Goro. “She told me about this program the NHK is going to be doing soon about Arsene.”

“Oh yeah, I heard about that at work today.”

“You did?” Goro was slightly relieved. “I'm glad I don't have to be the first one to tell you about it... Anyway, apparently they’re trying to get the Japanese detectives to make an appearance. Niijima wanted to know if I’d be willing to join her.”

“... Well, are you?”

“Only if that’s alright with you,” said Goro. "You're the man in question, after all."

“It’s your decision to make, babe.”

“I know, but,” Goro swallowed nervously, “I just didn’t want to blindside you. Appearing on television to talk about something we’ve both…”

“Hey,” said Akira gently, “I appreciate you thinking of me. But it’s fine. You do what _you_ want to do. I don't have a problem with it--as long as you don't, you know, blatantly come out and say it was me the whole time.”

“You know I wouldn’t out you, Akira.”

“... thanks,” said Akira, more quietly this time. He seemed pensive for a moment, but his usual self quickly returned. “So, are you going to do it? It's not every day you get to be on TV!”

“You know, I think I will,” said Goro, smiling. “I’ve never been on television before. To be honest, I’m a little nervous.”

“I’m sure you’ll do fine. Heh, maybe I’ll swoop in and steal the show…”

“Mmhm, and then I’ll have you arrested for trespassing.”

“You can’t arrest me anymore.”

“No, but Niijima can, and she won’t have any pesky statutes of limitations stopping her this time.”

“Ah, the great Arsene is foiled again…!”

“What do you mean ‘again’? You’ve never lost once--!”

As the two of them joked together, Goro found himself becoming more comfortable with the idea of appearing for the broadcast. Maybe it wouldn’t be so bad after all. He wasn’t sure what exactly they’d have him talking about, but it would probably be easy to talk around the clues he’d found pointing to Akira. He just had to keep it together for an hour, if that…

_You’re more important to me than anything, so I’ll keep on protecting you--even if you don’t need it anymore. For our personal peace of mind, at least I can do this much. I promise…_

He wrapped his arms around his fiance, drawing him as close as possible. He could smell the faint spice of Akira’s deodorant, along with a musty sort of scent that had become familiar over the years. The scent that lingered on Goro’s clothes when they parted.

“Goro…?”

“It’s nothing. I just like being close to you.”

“Heh, alright…”

Akira rubbed his back a little, absentmindedly; Goro could just barely feel his partner’s ring on his skin. His took a deep breath before letting out a satisfied sigh.

_In the end... I suppose I really am your partner in crime._

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Art for this chapter was stealthily posted weeks ago [here](http://magu-art.tumblr.com/post/164007588027/moments-of-calm).
> 
> I wrote a bunch of the stuff that comes after this before i wrote this chapter so it's been hard trying not to make big reveals too early lmao


	9. On Air

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The day of the broadcast arrives...

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> why is goro wearing his coat in the middle of summer in shibuya? for. reasons look i wasnt thinking about it when i wrote this but im leaving it bc t-shirt and gloves wouldn't work

On the day of the broadcast, Goro and Akira took the train down to the TV station together. Goro spent the train ride reviewing his notes for what to say, while Akira spent the whole time admiring how his partner looked. Goro had chosen to wear his old beige blazer and leather gloves; things he hadn’t really worn since leaving the force. He seldom had a need to appear that professional in his college life. It was almost nostalgic, seeing him in his detective getup: the same outfit he’d been wearing that day by the Seine…

“You’re as radiant as the day we met,” Akira commented. “It’s hard to keep my eyes off you.”

“Can you not flirt with me while I’m trying to focus? I’m nervous enough as it is.”

Akira took Goro’s hand gently.

“You’ll do fine. I believe in you.”

Goro took a deep breath, letting it out slowly.

“Thank you…”

Akira began to fiddle absentmindedly with his partner’s hand, feeling for the engagement ring beneath his glove.

“Are you going to wear these on air, too?”

“That was the idea.”

“A shame. I was enjoying the thought of all of Japan knowing you’re taken.”

“You’re insufferable, Akira.”

Before Akira could toss back another flirty response, the train’s speakers announced the next station.

_“Shibuya. The next stop is Shibuya. Transfer to the Ginza Line, the Fukutoshin Line, JR lines, and other subway lines. Next stop is Shibuya.”_

“That’s us,” said Akira, “You ready?”

“Ready as I’ll ever be…”

The two of them stood, trading seats with a few people still standing, and took their bags off the rack. They’d managed to come just before rush hour, and the train wasn’t very crowded.

From Shibuya station, it was a brief walk to the NHK Broadcasting Center. Goro signed in at the front desk, and got Akira registered as an audience member. They would have to part on their way to the studio; Goro had to check in with the staff, while Akira would need to wait with the sizable crowd who’d come to watch the show.

“Well, this is it.” Goro inhaled deeply. “God, I haven’t been this nervous about anything in ages…”

“You’ve got this, babe.” Akira smiled at him. “Knock ‘em dead.”

“Thank you, but--could you not call me ‘babe’ in public, please?”

“Sure thing, _dear_.”

“Ugh, you know what--nevermind. I’ll see you after the show.”

Akira wanted to give him one last kiss of encouragement, but thought better of it. In the moment of his hesitation, Goro slipped away into the crowd. Akira watched him go, lingering as his partner’s almond hair disappeared from view.

_Guess I’d better get moving too._

As Akira made his way to the audience line, he pulled out his phone. As expected, a text was already waiting for him.

_From M: You’re all set to go, and there shouldn’t be any problems. Find me at intermission._

Akira smiled as he typed a reply:

_Thanks for the hard work. See you then. -A_

* * *

It was a while before the studio doors opened to the public. Akira was surprised by the size of the crowd; he’d known Arsene had a bit of a cult following in Japan, but he hadn’t expected this many people to show up for a broadcast. Most of the audience seemed to be young women, and some had even come in school uniforms. Almost all of them had some kind of Arsene-related paraphernalia with them: tote bags, keychains, phone cases, apparel. He even saw one or two overflowing itabags on his way inside.

_I guess that’s what happens when your stage persona has enough visual substance for merchandise…_

Akira managed to find a seat in the middle, where he had a good view of the presenters. The hosts and guests were all seated already, and the stage crew seemed to be going over some last-minute details with them. Akira’s seat gave him a clear view of Goro, who was the only face he recognized among the guests.

Before too long the stage crew cleared out, and the lights dimmed. The cameras began rolling, and the booming voice of an announcer came over the speakers.

“Hello, and welcome to our NHK special, 'Take Your Art?!'--An exclusive, never-before-seen look at Japan’s connection to Arsene!”

The crowd cheered, and Akira clapped along with them.

“It seems like we have a lot of Arsene fans here today!” said one of the hosts, a stylish young man with glasses. “Anyways, I’m your host, Mister Shimaoka!”

“And I’m Beat Takashi!” said the other host, a sort of bumbling middle-aged man, “You’re a big fan of Arsene too, aren’t you, Mister Shimaoka?”

“I am, I am!” Shimaoka laughed, “What can I say? The first time I saw the broadcast from the Louvre, I was charmed instantly!”

“So Arsene stole _your_ heart too?” Takashi quipped. The audience laughed.

“That’s right! Hook, line, and sinker!” said Shimaoka, “But anyway, let me introduce our guests. Today we have with us a few experts on Arsene! Two of them are academics who have been studying Arsene’s impact in France and abroad, but are also very involved in the phantom thief aficionado community as well--’Phans’, we might call them!”

Two of the guests smiled and waved; one was a girl around Akira’s age, while the other, a man, was much older.

“Their names are Juuichi Umino and Atsuko Ishida--in fan circles, they go by ‘Eleven’ and ‘Akko’! We’ll be hearing from them a little later. First, though, we’ll be hearing from two people who we are very lucky to have with us today: the very detectives in charge of the Arsene case!”

There was a collective gasp as the two detectives rose and bowed.

“When France hit the end of its rope in the search for Arsene, it reached out to Japan’s most prolific detective for help! You may not have heard of him, but he’s solved more cases behind the scenes than most people are aware! Let’s welcome Goro Akechi to the studio!”

“Thank you,” said Goro, smiling sweetly. Akira could tell it was the smile he reserved for when he needed to make a good impression, “It’s my first time on television, so I’m a little nervous, but thank you for having me.”

“Of course!” Shimaoka nodded, “And this lovely lady next to him is none other than his partner on the case, Sae Niijima!”

Akira had heard her name before--Goro sometimes mentioned her--but he’d never seen Sae Niijima in person. She was almost intimidatingly beautiful: tall, with long silver hair and sharp eyes. Akira wondered if she had any relation to a sharp-eyed Niijima he’d gone to high school with in Tokyo…

“You’re too kind,” Niijima smiled bashfully as she took her seat, “I mostly served as his interpreter while we were in France, but officially, I’ve been in charge of the case for about four years now.”

“Oh?” Takashi tilted his head a bit, “Akechi-kun, are you not the lead detective anymore?”

“No, no, I resigned four years ago,” said Goro, “It was because of Arsene, actually. But I’m sure we’ll talk about that later.”

“Of course, don’t want to get ahead of ourselves!” said Shimaoka, “But--Takashi, don’t you think it’s surprising that the Arsene case was led by such young and attractive detectives??”

“I could hardly believe it!” Takashi agreed, “They make quite a pair. Akechi-kun practically looks like a high schooler! Just how old _are_ you, Akechi-kun?”

“I turned twenty-six in June,” said Goro.

Shrill cries of shock rose from the crowd.

_“Eeeeehhhh!??!”_

“That’s so young!” Takashi exclaimed. “When I was your age, I was waiting tables! The kids these days are really going places!”

“When did you become a detective?” asked Shimaoka.

“I was asked to join the force when I was in high school, and worked with them for several years--ah, but we’re not here to talk about me.”

“Still, though,” said Shimaoka, “It sounds like you’re quite the young prodigy! It’s no wonder you were chosen to head this case.”

“So young, but already married, I see!” said Takashi with a sly grin. “Who’s the lucky lady?”

“Huh?? He’s married?”

More scandalized squeals rose from the crowd, louder this time. At first, Akira wondered how Takashi could have known something like that--but Goro raised his left hand, glove-free, and his silver engagement ring caught the studio lights.

“Prying into my personal life, are we? Let’s leave that kind of thing to the detectives,” said Goro, a hint of playfulness beneath his practiced smile. The audience laughed.

_Heh_ , Akira thought to himself, _if you really wanted to keep that information private, you would have worn your gloves. No, you_ **_want_ ** _people to know you’re married. And now, the whole country knows you’re mine._

_If you think I’m not going to make good use of this next time we fuck…_

Quickly distracted by his own lewd thoughts, Akira barely noticed as the hosts transitioned into their first segment: an overview of Arsene’s activity. They tracked the sequence of events using a slideshow, including pictures of the infiltrated buildings and stolen art. Goro and Sae commented on it here and there, revealing occasional bits of information that hadn’t yet been made public. To Akira, of course, this was all old news--but he found it morbidly interesting to see how far the police had come in their investigation. How close they’d been to actually catching him.

After playing a snippet from Arsene’s broadcast (to raucous applause), the hosts turned to Niijima and Goro.

“Dealing with that fantastic performance must have been an incredible task for the police!” Shimaoka commented.

“It was a public relations nightmare, that’s for sure,” said Niijima with a hollow laugh. “We probably could have gotten away with a fake exhibit if we’d ended up catching Arsene. Having our plans backfire so publicly was a huge embarrassment…”

“I can only imagine,” Takashi nodded, “Now, I remember you mentioning this plan was Akechi-kun’s idea…?”

“That’s correct,” said Goro.

“I’m dying to know how you hatched that plan!” said Takashi, “Even if it didn’t work, it’s really crafty--like something out of a movie!”

“Well,” said Goro, “There was an incident where a calling card was sent, but Arsene never followed through. I later determined that the art piece in question was a forgery--one good enough that it must have fooled Arsene at the outset. From this, I guessed that our thief was actually somewhat inexperienced; perhaps a student. And if he could be fooled by a convincing fake, we could construct a perfect trap for him without deliberately endangering a priceless work of art.”

“And it really was a perfect trap!” said Shimaoka, “It’s a shame he got the jump on you!”

“Yes,” said Goro, “I don’t know how Arsene figured out what we were plotting, and unfortunately I may never know. Thanks to that embarrassing turn of events, I took responsibility and resigned from the force. Any further developments on the case are Niijima-san’s department, I’m afraid.”

“Utterly defeated by Arsene…” Takashi commented, “It must have been a terrible loss for you.”

“Yes, the aftermath was quite unpleasant,” said Goro, “But even though my own failings that night ended my career as a detective, I’m not bitter about losing to Arsene.”

“Oh?”

“I was outsmarted, sure, but that just speaks to Arsene’s brilliance,” Goro continued. “When I first arrived in France, I believed we were evenly matched--the Moriarty to my Sherlock, if you will. I believed I would ultimately be the one to capture Arsene, but it soon became clear that Arsene was a class above my expectations.”

Goro scanned the crowd, meeting Akira’s eyes in the audience--or was he imagining it?

“In a word, he’s amazing,” Goro continued. “In different circumstances, I think we could have been great friends. I would have liked to sit Arsene down and ask him how he did it all--not as an interrogation, but from genuine curiosity.”

“So he was a suitable rival for you,” said Shimaoka.

“I believe as much, yes,” said Goro, “And in the end, he proved to be my better.”

_And your better half_ , Akira thought smugly.

Even still, he was surprised that Goro could talk so positively about what happened. They’d agreed not to bring it up in their personal lives, and he’d never quite had the chance to hear how Goro really felt about Arsene. Or was he only lavishing praise because he knew Arsene--the man he married--was listening?

“So now, five years after the fact, are the police any closer to finding him?” asked Shimaoka, “Is there any chance of finally capturing Arsene?”

“Unfortunately, no,” said Niijima, “We had a few leads that didn’t go anywhere. Like Akechi-kun said, we believe Arsene was a student, and we also had a clue as to who might have been working with him. We were unable to prove any of this conclusively.”

“He certainly covered his tracks,” Goro added.

“Now that the statute of limitations is up for the case, we wouldn’t be able to press charges if we _did_ catch him, either.” Niijima sighed, “For all legal purposes, he’s escaped. It’s unfortunate, but the question of ‘Who is Arsene?’ may never be answered.”

“Another of the world’s greatest unresolved mysteries…” Takashi mused.

“But I have an additional hypothesis about his identity,” said Niijima, “During the broadcast, I noticed that Arsene spoke French with a bit of an accent. I compared that recording to recordings of non-native French speakers from several countries, and found that his accent sounded most similar to that of someone whose first language was Japanese. I was in the process of going through rosters of Japanese students in France at the time when the statute of limitations ran out.”

The audience, who had been quiet for much of the presentation, began to whisper amongst themselves. Akira felt a cold sweat coming on, hearing how close Niijima had been to finding him--though he was comforted by the knowledge that he was now legally untouchable.

“One day I think I’d like to find him, just to see if my hunch was right,” said Niijima, “But it won’t do the case any good now…”

“To think that the famous Arsene could actually be Japanese…” said Takashi, “How exciting!”

“Right? I thought so too!” said Shimaoka, “And on that note, we’re going to take a break for the commercials--but viewers at home, don’t touch that dial! We’ll be back with more Arsene mania right after this!”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Some notes on the names--I yanked the name Mister Shimaoka right out of Idolish7 because I couldn't think of anything else. Beat Takashi is a play on Beat Takeshi, the stage name of [Takeshi Kitano](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Takeshi_Kitano). Juuichi Umino is a completely stupid Ocean's 11 pun, I'm sorry. Atsuko Ishida is a similarly slapdash reference to [The Hot Rock](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Hot_Rock_\(film\)), which I haven't seen, but the venn diagram of "viable Japanese names" and "heist movie titles" is a tiny sliver.
> 
> The lengths I go for one-off character names i s2g....


	10. Thief of Hearts

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> With his half of the TV special done, Goro can relax a little.

Goro leaned back in his seat and sighed slightly. Commercials would last about five minutes, but he was already wishing the show was over. It had been exhausting to keep up his pleasant facade for so long; it was the first time in years he’d had to use it so extensively. One of the stage crew handed him a water bottle, which he gratefully accepted.

_I shouldn’t have worn my coat today… I’m roasting under these lights. How do TV hosts do this day in and day out?_

Goro scanned the crowd a little, searching for Akira. He’d spotted his fiance in the audience earlier, and managed to keep an eye on him for a time. For some reason, though, now he couldn’t find him. The seat Goro thought he’d seen him in was empty.

_Relax, I’m sure he just went to the bathroom._

Five minutes passed almost in an instant, and the next segment began. It would mostly be Umino and Ishida talking for the second half, and Goro could relax a little. The two academics went over a summary of Arsene’s rise to infamy, from the viral spread of the video online, to the current fan communities around the globe. This was all new to Goro, who had sort of blocked out any talk of Arsene since returning from France.

“Although he was first and foremost an art thief, as you can see, he’s become something of an urban legend,” said Umino. “The public’s image of Arsene has warped slightly over the years. In the current popular imagination, he exists as a thief who steals hearts rather than artwork.”

“That’s an interesting difference,” said Takashi.

“It’s all because of the video,” said Ishida, “He mentioned stealing the hearts of the populace for his final heist. That more than anything set him apart from similar phantom thieves, and won him hundreds of fans around the world.”

“I guess you could say he’s succeeded in stealing hearts!” Umino joked. There were a few laughs from the audience.

“This all must be quite strange for the detectives to hear!” said Shimaoka, “Akechi-kun, Niijima-san, what are your thoughts on this development?”

“It _is_ a bit silly,” said Niijima, “It sounds like something out of a manga or romance novel.”

“I agree,” said Goro, “While I find the idea of a ‘thief of hearts’ to be, frankly, ridiculous, I suppose I can’t fault Arsene for pursuing a less criminal pastime. After all, ‘stealing someone’s heart’ isn’t a crime--if it was, I’d have to have my husband arrested.”

The crowd practically exploded at this revelation.

"No way!!"

"Husband--?!"

"That's so cute!!!"

“Settle down, everyone!” said Shimaoka, “Pairs of husbands aren’t that uncommon! I’ve got one too, you know--!”

“Aww, Shimaoka, I’m flattered,” said Takashi.

“You know I don’t mean _you_ , you dolt! You’ve met him before!!”

“I have? Oh--I thought he was your landlord.” *

“Well, he is and isn’t--!”

The audience laughed; the hosts had successfully deflected their attention elsewhere. Goro scanned the crowd again, but he couldn’t see Akira among them.

_I was hoping he’d be around to hear that… ah well. I’ll have to show him the recording later. But where is he? He couldn’t be in the bathroom still…_

A momentary fear gripped Goro’s heart.

_He couldn’t have been arrested…? No, calm down, Goro. Maybe he couldn’t get back to his seat and is standing somewhere I can’t see him. Just relax…_

As Goro struggled to quiet his anxiety, there was a sudden _click_ , and the lights in the studio went out. Yelps of surprise erupted from the audience.

“It’s alright, everyone, it’s just a power outage!” said Shimaoka, though his still-working microphone contradicted him. “Are the cameras still--?”

He was interrupted by the sound of chilling laughter.

Goro’s blood ran cold.

_No… no, it couldn’t be. He wouldn’t--!_

A single light clicked on, illuminating the center of the stage. A newcomer in black stood in the spotlight, facing away from the cameras--how and when he’d gotten there was hard to say. In an instant the man turned around, his face concealed by a complex helmet.

“ _Bonsoir_ , Japan!” he said. His voice came through filtered, as though speaking through a radio. “Tonight, I’ve come to claim my next target: the hearts of everyone in the studio! No--everyone in the country!”

_Oh god damn it, he would._

“That’s right! I am the Thief of Hearts--Arsene!”

The main lights came back on, and jazzy music came through the speakers; the same tune that had played in the original broadcast. The studio was in utter chaos; fans in the audience squealed, the other guests looked like they might die of shock, crew members were shouting, and the poor hosts were desperately trying to keep everything together.

“Arsene! W-what an honor to have you here!” said Shimaoka, struggling to keep a straight face himself, “What brings you here to Japan?”

“Well, I heard you were having a party in my honor, and I was offended you didn’t invite me!” said Arsene, “So I’ve come to fix that egregious error.”

“Yes, of course,” said Shimaoka, “Er, have a seat, Arsene! Plenty of room for you!”

“Don’t mind if I do, _Monsieur_ Shimaoka.”

Arsene dramatically took a seat in the empty chair next to Goro, flicking his coattails as he sat. Goro glared daggers at his fiance. There could be no doubt that it was Akira beneath that mask--the filtering was weak enough that Goro could discern his voice.

“Folks, this is certainly a surprise, but let’s give a warm welcome to Arsene!” said Takashi.

The applause that followed was almost deafening.

Niijima leaned over to Goro.

“Did they say anything to you about this?” she asked, covering her mic.

“Not a word,” he replied, covering his.

“Could they have staged this to surprise us…?”

Goro shrugged--it was about all he was capable of at the moment. His mind was already swimming in anxiety.

_What the hell is he going to do this time? Tell me this is just a studio-sanctioned stunt. A joke. It’s not very funny, but that would be better than another gung-ho attempt to take advantage of me. After all these years…_

_Akira--what the hell are you thinking?_

“So--Arsene!” said Shimaoka over the din, “There’s so much we’d like to ask you, I’m not sure I know where to start!”

“Please, take your time,” said Arsene. “I know it can be hard to find the right words when faced with such an immaculate genius as myself!”

“Oh my god,” Goro groaned.

“Hm?” Arsene turned to him, “Detective Akechi, your microphone is still on.”

“I’m aware,” said Goro tersely.

“It seems we have a bit of a bitter reunion between these two rivals!” said Shimaoka, “A little lingering animosity, eh Akechi-kun?”

“W-well, I certainly never expected to meet him face to face,” said Goro, scrambling to recover his pleasant facade. “Much less sit next to him on a television show!”

“Funny how the world works sometimes, isn’t it?” said Arsene. “You could almost say it’s fate.”

“Indeed…”

_He’s having way too much fun with this, and when we get home I’m going to kill him._

“Arsene, if you don’t mind,” said Shimaoka, “We’ve heard quite a bit about your accomplishments, but I’m sure we’re all dying to know more about _you!_ Do you mind if we ask a few questions? _”_

“Not at all. Happy to oblige!”

“Alright then, I’ll start,” said Takashi, “You’re a connoisseur of the arts, are you not?”

“I like to think so.”

“Why don’t you tell us your favorite painter?” Takashi continued.

“Without a doubt, it’s Monet.” Arsene answered without a moment’s hesitation. “The man’s command of color and shadow is unparalleled. I’m fond of Impressionism, but Monet is a clear favorite.”

“Monet is quite popular here in Japan, too!” said Shimaoka.

“That reminds me,” Niijima spoke up, and Arsene turned to face her. “Arsene… when did you learn to speak Japanese so well?”

A sound like a laugh came from within the helmet.

“I think you know the answer to that, Detective Niijima.”

“So you aren’t denying it, then? That you’re Japanese?”

“I don’t see what would be the point of denying it,” said Arsene, “After all, it’s as you say: with the statute of limitations up, there isn’t a lot you can do to me.”

“W-well, this is a surprise!” said Shimaoka, “There you have it, viewers--confirmation that the famous Arsene is himself Japanese!”

“I knew Japan had a connection to Arsene, but I couldn’t have guessed the truth in a million years!” said Takashi, “Now, just _how_ did a Japanese citizen end up stealing art in France…?”

“Ah, a magician never reveals his secrets,” said Arsene, “Let’s just say that I had a very generous patron.”

“Ooooh, a patron!” said Shimaoka, “Someone supporting your exploits from the shadows!”

“Something like that.”

“Of course,” Goro chipped in, “I knew there was no way you could possibly have done all that alone. You had an accomplice.”

“More than one, as it happens.”

Goro couldn’t see his face, but he just _knew_ Akira was winking beneath that mask, and he hated it. It was all he could do to keep from flushing.

_I can’t let him win this time, even if he_ **_is_ ** _my--!_

“I’m surprised you went through the effort of coming here, though,” said Goro, cool despite his inner fury. “Normally I would think a TV broadcast would be beneath your notice. There’s nothing to steal, after all.”

“Nothing but hearts, of course!” Arsene answered him as easily if he’d rehearsed it, and the audience laughed.

“Of course,” Goro echoed, “And yet--somehow--I’m not convinced you’re the real Arsene.”

At this, Arsene was silent. Goro could only imagine the stunned look on his face--he wished he could see it.

“Oh?” he said finally, “What makes you say that?”

_Good, he took the bait. You really are too easy, Akira._

“First of all,” said Goro, “Arsene _never_ arrives unannounced. Even at the Louvre he sent an additional card to advertise his change of plans. Arsene is a cultured man, after all, and he knows it’s rude to show up to things uninvited.”

“Hey, you’re right…” said Shimaoka. A whisper ran through the crowd like a shiver.

“ _Go on_ ,” said Arsene, intrigued.

“Secondly, the entrance was all wrong,” said Goro. “Arsene makes his entrances from the ceiling--but the ceiling in this room is too tall for you to have jumped quietly, and I don’t see you wearing any sort of harness or rope. Unless _teleportation_ is one of your thief skills, I don’t believe you entered this room from the ceiling.”

“A solid deduction.” Arsene nodded. “Anything else?”

“Finally--while he had a flair for the dramatic, Arsene was a calculating man, and extremely careful. If he’d wanted to be more public about his heists, he absolutely would have--but he knew the dangers of having a public face. He would never have made a public appearance unless every single aspect of it was completely under his control. That night at the Louvre, he had us all in the palm of his hand, and he knew it.”

“And you don’t think the same is true now…?”

“Of course not, or I would have heard something by now. To do that, Arsene would have had to take this entire studio hostage--which would be wildly out of character for him anyway. Regardless, a live television appearance simply isn’t a risk I think he would take.”

Goro stood, pointing an accusing finger at the man next to him, but addressing the audience as he spoke:

“In conclusion--there’s _no way_ this man could possibly be the real Arsene!”

Goro’s words echoed in the studio a bit. The audience had fallen completely, deafeningly silent.

There were a few moments of stunned stillness before the room erupted into cheers. Helpless to stop them, the hosts added their own voices to the ruckus. Umino and Ishida led the crowd in a thunderous applause, and even Niijima couldn’t help joining in.

“There you have it, folks! The ace detective gives us a live demonstration of his skills!” announced Takashi, shouting slightly over the noise.

“That was quite a takedown!” said Shimaoka. “Just what you’d expect from a genius detective! Arsene, what do you have to say to these accusations? Are you _really_ the same one from five years ago?!”

Everyone waited with baited breath for Arsene to give his response. He seemed to consider for a while, though it was hard to tell what he was thinking with the mask concealing his face. Goro tried his best to keep a poker face, but a smirk pricked at the corners of his mouth.

_Now I’ve got you, Arsene. How does it feel to lose to me--?_

“Well,” said Arsene finally, “I think I’ll leave that up to _you_ to decide, viewers. Has my performance convinced you, or did this former detective’s words sway you? Which of us has won your heart?”

“Er, Arsene, that doesn’t answer the--!”

“For now, though, I think it’s time to say _adieu_ ,” Arsene continued, “You’ve been lovely tonight, Tokyo.”

“Running away, are we?” said Goro. “I won’t let you get away so easily this time, Arsene--!”

“Actually, we’re almost out of time…” Shimaoka piped up.

“Don’t worry, I won’t take any more of your time,” said Arsene. “I’ll call it a draw this round, detective, but I’ll be looking forward to the next opportunity to test our wits. And to all my lovely fans, just remember: though I may disappear this moment, so long as you keep me in your hearts, I will never leave your side!”

With those words the lights shut off a second time. When they came back up, Arsene was gone. A pile of red cards remained, scattered on the floor in his wake. Emblazoned on each was a fancy letter A.

The studio, predictably, exploded with noise.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> * "Your husband? i thought he was your landlord" - Im sorry that this joke is both really stupid and also doesn't work in english; Takashi is making a pun on shujin (主人) which could mean either husband or landlord. i know. it's bad and i tried so hard to find an english alternative and i couldn't.
> 
> anyway at first i'd just planned to have a completely normal broadcast. but then i thought--how boring would that be?


	11. Arsene

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Goro is decidedly unamused with his fiance's antics.

The audience was abuzz long after Arsene had vanished; Shimaoka and Takashi almost had to shout their closing remarks. Goro took a bow along with the other guests, but he was eager to leave the uncomfortably warm stage. Once the cameras were off, he and the others were allowed to depart. Goro hastily made his way out, declining the other guests’ offers to chat.

_When I find that idiot, I swear--!_

Backstage, the atmosphere was completely chaotic. Staff and crewmembers were all arguing with each other; executives elbowed through the crowd, shouting on cell phones, and production assistants scrambled to follow their bosses. Goro and Niijima had to push their way to the back room where they’d left their things.

When they got there, they found another crowd of people: a couple of important-looking men in suits, young female assistants, and the program hosts were all standing around in a tightly-packed group, blocking the object of their attention from view.

“I don’t know _who_ you are, but we’re prepared to sue you six ways from Tuesday for that little stunt you just pulled,” Goro heard one of the suited men saying. “Do you have any _idea_ what you’ve done? That was a live broadcast!”

“Well, the ratings have never been better…” one of the assistants piped up.

“Come on, Abe-san, give him a chance!” said Shimaoka, “His acting was great! Hey kid, do you need a job? Wanna be Arsene for NHK’s Sunday variety program--?”

“Oh don’t _do_ that!” said another of the suited men, “Don’t reward him for this! He wasn’t even allowed to be up there!”

“As if a forged backstage pass wasn’t bad enough, there were no liability waivers, no contract, no _nothing!!”_ the first man continued his tirade, “We’re going to have you written up for trespassing at the _very least--_ oh, perfect, the detectives are here.”

The crowd parted a little. Akira sat on a stool in the middle, holding the helmet in his lap. He met Goro’s eyes with a sly smile.

“Hey babe.”

“Don’t you ‘hey babe’ me, after all that--!”

Goro briskly strode up to him, hands on his hips.

“And what the _hell_ do you think you were doing out there?”

“A cameo.”

“Cameo, my--this is _not_ the time for jokes, Akira! I’m about one snide comment away from letting Niijima-san cuff you--!”

“Hey, uh,” said Takashi, “Do you two… know each other?”

“Ugh…” said Goro, putting a hand to his forehead, “Embarrassingly enough, this idiot is my husband. And for the record, no, I did not put him up to this.”

“So…" Takashi tilted his head, "He’s not really Arsene?”

“Of _course_ he isn’t!!" Goro sighed in exasperation, "I proved as much, didn’t I? He’s nothing like the real Arsene at all. Absolutely no class. He probably thought a stupid prank like this would be funny!”

“Oh, it was _hilarious,”_ Akira added.

“Quiet, you--!”

“Both of you, quiet,” the man named Abe interjected. “Kid, do you have _any idea_ of the damage you’ve done tonight--?”

“Abe-san, can you give the guy a break?” said Shimaoka pleadingly, “He did a great job. I bet people will be talking about this for months.”

“Sir, if you’ll just take a look at these numbers…” the assistant who’d spoken earlier handed her boss a tablet. Abe gave the screen a once-over, brows furrowed at first--but he seemed to notice something, and his eyes grew wide.

“Are these from tonight…?”

“They’re live-updating right now, yes.”

“I see…”

He cleared his throat before turning to Akira.

“ _Well_ ,” he said, “While you certainly won’t be getting any rewards for breaking into my studio and churning out the highest ratings I’ve ever seen… I won’t ask any more questions. Just go home, alright kid?”

“Will do, sir.” Akira smiled pleasantly.

“Come on,” Goro was relieved that, at the very least, his fiance wouldn’t be facing a lawsuit, “You’ve got a lot of explaining to do.”

“I know, I know… let me get changed before we go.”

Akira stood, tucking the helmet under his arm.

“You can use my dressing room if you want!” said Shimaoka enthusiastically, “Come on, it’s the next one over!”

Shimaoka dragged Akira away by the arm; the latter did little to resist him. Goro sighed, watching the two of them go. With all the excitement over, the room began to clear as Abe and the other staff trickled out one by one. Goro and Niijima eventually managed to get over to the temporary lockers. The two were quiet as they retrieved their things.

“So, Akechi-kun,” said Niijima at length.

“Hm?”

“You let Arsene escape and then married him?”

Goro froze; his blood chilled in his veins.

“N-Niijima-san--?!”

“It always bothered me that you got the wings mixed up that night,” said Niijima, her voice quiet and even. “You’d spent months working on the Nefertiti exhibit, covering any and all possible escape routes. You knew the plans to the Louvre better than anyone on the team, and you had years of experience working under pressure. And yet, you made a rookie mistake at a crucial moment…”

Goro looked away, frowning.

“So you suspected me from that night on, didn’t you…?”

“Everyone did,” said Niijima, “I heard my fair share of nasty rumors about you after you left. There were many in the Paris PD who legitimately believed you were connected to Arsene somehow. That maybe your entire career as a detective had been a cover for committing crimes.”

Goro cringed a little.

“It got that bad, huh…?”

“Most of it was just baseless gossip,” said Niijima, “You know, the kind of rumors that spread when people don’t have all the details. I didn’t want to believe any of it, but your little ‘accident’ at the Louvre has always nagged at the back of my mind. In that context, those rumors almost seemed like they could be true…”

Niijima glanced over at the door, making sure the coast was clear before speaking again.

“He _is_ the real Arsene, isn’t he? Your husband.”

Goro was silent; he closed his locker and shouldered his bag.

“It’s alright,” said Niijima, “You can tell me. Even if I _could_ get you both arrested, I wouldn’t be able to press charges anyway. Just… for my own curiosity’s sake, can I get an answer?”

Goro considered this for a long time.

_I’m sorry, Niijima-san. You were my partner. I had a lot of respect for you back then, and still do. I know you’re not the kind of person who would blab about this. But even still… I won’t reveal his identity. Not even to you._

_I promised I would protect him, and I intend to keep that promise._

“You’ve seen my husband in action,” said Goro at length. He did his best to smile. “He _did_ say that it was up to you to decide whether or not he was the real Arsene. I won’t spoil the fun of choosing for yourself.”

Niijima laughed defeatedly.

“Alright,” she said, “I guess the mystery remains.”

There was a bit of silence between them. Goro took his gloves from his pocket and slipped them on, glancing fondly at his ring before it disappeared beneath the leather.

“Akechi-kun,” said Niijima.

“Hm?”

“I can’t say I understand what you were thinking back then, but…” She smiled warmly. “You seem a lot happier now than when I met you.”

Before Goro could properly respond, the door opened behind them. Akira came through it, chatting with Shimaoka.

“And seriously, if you need a job--!”

“Thank you, Shimaoka-san. I’ll remember that if I lose the one I’ve got.”

“Alright, alright. Have a safe trip home, you two!”

“We will…”

Akira strode over to Goro, now back in his regular clothes. He had his bag slung over his shoulder, though Goro had a hard time believing Akira could fit his entire thief outfit and a helmet into a bag that size. No wonder he hadn’t suspected a thing on the way there.

“Ready to go?” said Akira.

“I think so, yes…” Goro patted his pockets to make sure he had everything he came with. “Niijima-san, thank you again for reaching out to me. All things considered, I had fun tonight.”

“Of course.” Niijima smiled back at him. “Let’s get coffee and catch up sometime, alright?”

“I think I’d like that. I’ll see you around, then.”

“See you, Akechi-kun.”

Goro took his partner’s hand and led him out, perhaps walking a bit faster than usual. Niijima watched them leave before gathering her own things. She’d brought some of her case files with her for the broadcast, but ended up not needing them on set. Her eyes passed over a set of documents listing names and photos of Japanese students, with a note indicating their origin from a French academic year five years earlier. A certain messy-haired student in horn-rimmed glasses had been circled in red on the top page.

“I thought that was you,” she said to herself. “Seems like Akechi-kun got to you before I did. Ah well…   _Bravo, Monsieur_ Kurusu. I’ll concede defeat this time.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Watching y'all freak out about how close Niijima was to finding him two chapters ago was a delight; i just sat there thinking "ohhh mannnn, watch this"
> 
> I had a lot of fun writing the dialog in this haha ~~and making veiled references to the original game~~


	12. Honesty

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> You can't just go four years without talking about something like this.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Okay first of all I am so sorry for the delay on this; the chapter after it was giving me a lot of trouble and I didn't want to eat up my buffer! But, having gotten most of the way through the next chapter, I figured I might as well update this one haha

“Akira.”

“Yes, dear?”

“ _Must_ you keep showing me up on national television??”

Akira couldn’t help laughing.

“Not bad, huh?”

The two of them headed back toward the train station at a lively pace. The midsummer sun had already disappeared behind the skyscrapers of Shibuya, but the sky was as blue as a late afternoon. Goro was thankful that the streets were in shadow, but he found himself removing his coat and gloves as they walked.

“Not bad, my ass. You’re lucky I didn’t tear the mask off you right then and there. How the hell did you even _do_ that?”

“Well, I found out my ex works lights at the studio now,” said Akira, “He’s a big fan of Arsene--he was more than willing to pull a few strings for me.”

“Your ex?”

“Kid from the volleyball team in high school. Mishima? I can’t remember if I told you about him or not.”

“It sort of rings a bell.”

“Anyway, he’s active in the Tokyo Phandom scene, and does cosplay and everything. He even lent me the helmet, since my old accomplice didn’t let me keep the real one. It wasn’t a great replica, though. You couldn’t even open the faceplate.”

“Not that people would know that’s something it could do, with only your broadcast to go on.”

“That’s true,” said Akira, “Yeesh, I just realized my ex cosplays me…. Thaaaat’s a little weird.”

“Did you tell him that you’re Arsene?”

“I may have strongly hinted it,” said Akira with a wink. “I don’t know if he cared whether I was the real one or not, though. All I had to say was ‘what if I dressed up as Arsene and crashed the broadcast’ and he was on board.”

“I see… that’s a bit concerning.”

“Yeah. I hope he doesn’t get in trouble for it…”

Even as their conversation ebbed, there was something still nagging at the back of Goro’s mind. It had been bothering him from the minute Akira showed up onstage; in the heat of the moment he’d been able to forget about it, but as he mulled through what had happened that evening, he remembered what it was.

“On a more serious note…” said Goro, “Can I… ask you not to do anything like that again, please? At least not without warning me?”

“Sure… what’s wrong, Goro?”

Goro stopped walking, and Akira turned to face him. His stomach twisted as he worked up the courage to say what was on his mind. Maybe he could just leave it at that…

_No. I have to tell him._

“It’s just… it brought back some painful memories of what happened in France,” he admitted. “The feeling of not knowing what you’re really thinking… not knowing how you really feel about me. About any of it. Knowing that you encouraged me to take this gig in the first place, and then showed up in full costume to crash it…”

“Ah, yeah…” Akira smiled awkwardly, “I can see how that’d be…”

“What possessed you to do something like that?”

“Well… I wanted to surprise everyone,” said Akira, “The great Arsene himself, appearing out of nowhere to steal the show. People love that kind of thing. I thought it wouldn’t be any fun if you were in on it.”

Goro glared at him.

“It would have been nice if you’d said something.”

“Yeah… I didn’t really think it through. I’m sorry…”

“It made me remember how alone I felt that night,” Goro continued, more confidently this time. Maybe “confidently” wasn’t the right way to describe it, but the words came more easily now that he’d started talking. “To be honest, that night at the Louvre, I’d never felt more alone in my life. You were the one person I’d come to trust more than anything. And for you to just… take advantage of that… I’m sorry, I know you said you didn’t mean it like that, but that’s the way I felt.”

“You’re not the one who needs to apologize here, Goro.”

“I know we agreed to put it behind us, but… maybe just ignoring it wasn’t such a good idea. I still think about it every so often and wonder if I’m right to keep trusting you. Most of the time it’s just an intrusive thought, but now that you’ve gone and done something like this…”

He paused, wondering if he should dial it back a bit.

“I managed to have fun up there, so in the end it wasn’t so bad, but it still made me feel anxious. Like once the show was over you’d disappear again…”

Goro laughed mirthlessly.

“It’s stupid, I know.”

“No, hey, it’s not stupid.” Akira took his fiance by the shoulders. “Your feelings are valid; you have every right to be angry about this. And… I’m sorry I made you feel that way again.”

Akira frowned and released him, backing up.

“That didn’t come out right…”

“It’s fine,” said Goro.

“I’m sorry for not thinking about how it’d make you feel. Hm, that’s not quite it either…”

“Akira, it’s fine. You apologized. As long as it never happens again, I’ll let it go.”

“Thanks…” Akira took a deep breath before continuing. “It’s not really fine, but… At least, I’m glad you finally told me all this, Goro.”

“Huh?”

Akira looked away, frown parting into a grimace.

“All this time, I didn’t realize how badly I’d hurt you.”

Goro's mouth fell open in disbelief.

“You didn’t--how could you not _know?!”_

“Well, you just… never said anything.” Akira scratched the back of his head nervously. “We got back together like nothing happened, and didn’t talk about it all these years… I guess I assumed you’d gotten over it.”

He took another deep breath, letting it out slowly.

“Clearly that was wrong. I’m sorry for not ever thinking to ask… I should have known better than that.”

Goro nodded to him.

“And I’m sorry for refusing to talk about it,” he responded quietly. “From now on… let’s be more honest with each other, alright? Even if it’s hard to talk about. I'll... do my best to speak up.”

“Yeah…” said Akira. “And I’ll try to keep the surprises to a minimum.”

“You _better.”_

“... Make-up kiss?”

“It’s going to take a lot more than a _kiss_ to make up for this, Akira.”

Akira smiled, taking a step closer.

“Well, we’ll start with a kiss, and go from there.”

“We’re in public.”

“Nobody’s paying attention. It’s a Friday night in Shibuya.”

“Fine,” Goro conceded. “Just one, alright?”

“As long as I get more later.”

“Alright, alright.”

Their lips met briefly; Goro put his hands on Akira’s waist. There was still some lingering anxiety--it was mostly in his stomach, recovering from having spoken his mind so plainly--but he felt a lot better for having finally said something. He thought he’d come to terms with what happened, but after tonight, he realized he’d have a lot more work to do before he could really say he had. It was sobering, but… at least this time, he knew he wasn’t alone. Akira would have to deal with it right alongside him. There was something comforting about that.

They could get through this. It would take some time, but if they both put the effort in…

The two of them were back at the station now; at this hour Shibuya was starting to wind down from the evening rush. Goro was starting to feel a bit peckish, but he knew the restaurants by the station would be crowded around now. Better to wait until they were home--maybe he’d make Akira cook for him as punishment. They joined the throngs crossing at the famous Shibuya Scramble and headed into the station.

“You know,” said Goro as they headed toward the Ginza line gates, “It was almost nostalgic to play detective again.”

“Really?”

“Yeah. I had a good time for that part, at least. It was fun to utterly ruin your little act. I just wish I could have seen the look on your face.”

“Well,” said Akira, “I’m happy to ‘play detective’ with you anytime you like, Goro.”

Goro flushed and looked away without another word, but he was already getting ideas…

“We haven’t played our little phantom thief game in a while, have we?” said Akira, grinning. “I’ll even put on my thief outfit just for you--!”

“Can we not talk about this in public?”

“Fine, I’ll stop teasing you. But once we’re home…!”

“S-shush!! Don’t forget we still have to eat dinner!”

“Mm, that’s fine. But I’d love to have _you_ for dinner instead.”

“.... sigh,” Goro put a hand to his forehead, “I walked right into that one.”

“You’re particularly good at that.”

Goro playfully socked his fiance’s arm; Akira laughed and put up his hands.

“Ow--!”

“Oh, be quiet. That didn’t hurt at all.”

“Nope.”

“Come on,” said Goro, smiling, “Let’s get home.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry for the bait-and-switch regarding who "M" really was, but I couldn't resist lmao.... it's a subtle nod to the fact that, if I was less lazy than I am, this fic could have gone very differently. I had this idea of Mishima becoming the next Arsene and robbing the museum Akira works at--but that story would have ballooned into something much larger than I wanted to deal with, haha. Maybe another time
> 
> Also, this chapter wasn't originally supposed to be this angsty, but I realized that the "we just don't talk about it" i'd put into an earlier chapter wasn't actually that healthy, whoops


	13. Their Game

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> "Dick doesn't count as dinner." - Goro Akechi, 20XX

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> _Rating note: this chapter is sexually explicit and contains bondage and coercion fantasy themes (but Akira loves Goro so much he's bad at pretending he doesn't lmao)_
> 
>  
> 
> Anyway, it's taken approximately five MILLION years to write this, but now it is done. Enjoy.
> 
> Art for this chapter can be seen [here](http://magu-art.tumblr.com/post/165428023817/sure-flirt-with-the-detective-on-your-case-that) and [here](http://magu-art.tumblr.com/post/165999150147/how-do-you-expect-to-weasel-your-way-out-of-this). Drew a lot of art for this scene actually....

Akira cooked dinner for the two of them that night. He tried to flirt his way out of it at first, but Goro repeatedly insisted that dick didn’t count as dinner. _That’s quitter talk_ , Akira thought smugly as he got out a pot and turned on the stove. Even so, he figured he’d put Goro through enough that day; tonight’s menu would be a mild Leblanc-style curry by way of an apology.

After they’d finished eating and cleaned up, Akira planned to have a slow evening. Maybe the two of them would hang out together and read, or curl up on the couch and watch TV (probably a romcom or period drama; Akira had discovered early on that watching police procedurals with his former-detective fiance did not make for a fun time). Akira took a seat on the couch, flipping through channels to see if anything noteworthy was on. After a minute or two Goro came into the living room to join him, and Akira looked up.

“What’s up, babe?”

“Nothing really… are you going to watch something?”

“Yeah, I think so. Wanna join me?”

“Er, actually…” Goro looked away bashfully, “I was thinking…”

Akira smiled to himself. He knew that look--that was the self-conscious look Goro got in his eyes when he wanted something he was too embarrassed to ask for.

“You were thinking…?” he asked, waiting for Goro to elaborate.

“Well,” said Goro, “I was thinking about what you said earlier. About how we haven’t done our little phantom thief game in a while…”

“Oh?” Akira raised an eyebrow, intrigued. “Interested?”

“Well… yes….”

_Now this is a surprise._

He’d really only mentioned their game to be a tease; flirting with Goro in public was one of his favorite pastimes, and he loved coming up with creative ways to make his fiance flush. But he hadn’t expected Goro would actually go for it, especially not after Akira’s snafu at the TV station. They’d only played that game once since getting back together--and a whimpered _water lilies_ had brought it to an early halt. After that, Akira decided that once was enough. He would let Goro choose when to try again.

… that time was now, apparently.

“You’re sure?” said Akira, “I’m surprised you’d be into it, after today.”

“I’m surprised too, but,” Goro smiled, looking away, “I started thinking about it, and I couldn’t stop…”

“Oh?”

“... your thief outfit looks really good on you,” Goro admitted, his face gradually reddening. “I hate that it does, but… god…”

Akira stood up; he could barely contain his grin.

“I’ll go put it on for you,” he said, “Meet me in the bedroom?”

“S…. sure….”

Akira practically skipped over to the bedroom; the sooner he could be back into his thief outfit the better. Luckily, it had been designed to be donned and removed quickly--within a few minutes, he had transformed once again into the notorious thief Arsene. This would not be the first time he’d worn this costume for their game (last time, Goro had discovered it in the closet and asked him why he still had it… then shyly requested he put it on). This time, though, he hoped he’d be able to wear it for longer.

Or not, depending on how the evening went.

“Ready?” Goro’s voice floated in from the hall.

“Mmhm. Come on in.”

Goro entered the room, pulling his leather gloves on as he went. Akira’s heart skipped a beat.

_Mm, you know just what I like~!_

Goro gave him a once-over, the look in his eyes somewhere between admiration and lust.

“How do I look?” asked Akira, holding out his arms to show off his costume.

“...... really good….” Goro put a hand to his mouth and looked away, “It’s way more flattering than a giant leather coat has any right to be.”

“Hm? Detective, I didn’t know you had a thing for _leather.”_

“Wait, wait, I’m not ready to start yet!!”

“Alright, alright.”

Akira watched as his fiance went over to the nightstand, double-checking their supply of condoms and lube, and making sure they would be within reach. He then went to the closet and took a pair of leather restraints from their box of toys--a less painful substitute for handcuffs. Akira still had faint scars on his wrists from their first little game.

“What’s the scenario this time, honey?” Akira asked. “Got anything in mind, or do you want me to think of something?”

“Um…” Goro looked up at him, “I was thinking something like this: the thief is in the middle of his daring escape from the Louvre when he’s cornered in an exhibit. The detective has him right where he wants him. He’s prepared to make his arrest… but he’s feeling generous, and would probably give the thief his freedom in return for a favor.”

Akira stared at him.

“The Louvre? Are you sure?”

“Daring, isn’t it?” Goro smiled, “The thought of having sex on the floor of the most famous museum in the world, even if it’s just a fantasy…”

“I’m not denying that sounds hot,” said Akira, “Because holy shit, that sounds hot, and I’m really glad we’re not in France right now because it so happens that I know how to sneak into the Louvre, and--!”

“Akira, you’re rambling.”

“Right, sorry. Anyway, what worries me is that minus the sex, that’s almost exactly like what happened that night…”

“Yes, that was the point.”

Akira furrowed his brow.

_What’s he thinking? Last time we couldn’t keep going because it reminded him too much of what happened in France. That was pretty soon after we got back together, so maybe he’s more alright with it now, but still… the scenario last time was pretty generic. This time, deliberately setting it in scene like that night…_

“You’re sure you’re alright with this?” said Akira finally. “You were really upset earlier, so--!”

“Akira, I’m sure. I want to try this again. I want to… to be able to associate this with something positive, instead of just running away from it. For better or for worse, it’s why we’re both here now, after all…”

“.... and you think roleplaying a porn parody version of my escape is going to help?”

“I think it’s worth a shot,” Goro’s smile was unwavering. “Besides, if I can’t handle it, I know how to stop it. _Water lilies._ ”

“Right… I’m just worried about you.”

Goro walked up to him, taking Akira’s cheeks in his hands. Their lips met briefly, tenderly; Goro stayed close to him even as he pulled back.

“Don’t worry too much about me,” he murmured. “I know my limits. But if you’re really not alright with this, we can do something else…”

“No, no,” said Akira. His expression warmed. “Believe me--it’s like I said earlier. I’m more than happy to play detective with you anytime you like.”

“Then let’s get started,” said Goro, backing away. “This time… I’ll be sure to make a complete mess of you.”

“Heh… those are tall words, _detective_.” Akira slipped into his thief persona as easily as he slipped into his outfit. “Let’s see you make good on a threat like that.”

“Oh believe me, I intend to,” said Goro. His eyes met Akira’s. “Don’t think I’ll let you get away so easily this time.”

Akira stepped forward, taking Goro’s chin in his fingers.

“Hm?” he said, “There’s nothing I can do to convince you?”

Goro took hold of Akira’s wrist.

“Don’t forget who’s in charge here, _Arsene_.”

The name seemed to surprise him; from the look on Goro’s face, it was clear it had slipped out unintentionally. Akira, however, found the nickname thrilling--there was something about the way it sounded in his fiance’s voice…

“Already jumping to a first name basis, detective?” he teased, “I’m flattered you think of me that way.”

Goro looked relieved; his momentary uncertainty passed. His eyes flicked back upwards, catching Akira’s gaze.

“Mm, don’t get the wrong idea. You’ll be calling me Detective Akechi until you’re given permission otherwise.”

Goro released him, and Akira’s hand fell to his side. He watched as his fiance paced the room a bit, considering his options. It was decidedly a much different tension from that night at the Louvre years earlier. Akira didn’t think he’d ever be able to forget how he’d felt that night--to know that one wrong move could end his life, literally or figuratively. But here, things were different. The tension he felt watching Goro now was more akin to anticipation. Excitement. The knowledge that he could trust his partner fully, and was in good hands.

“Now, let’s see…” Goro mused to himself, “To have the world’s most notorious thief completely at my mercy… I think I see why they say power corrupts.”

Goro turned back to face him, finally hitting upon a plan.

“I want you on your knees, Arsene. You’ll have to beg me for your freedom.”

Briefly forgetting his character, Akira was all too happy to oblige. He knelt down obediently, keeping his eyes on his partner. After giving it some thought he started to say something, but Goro held up a gloved finger to stop him.

“Ah, but I think your mouth has a better use than that.”

Akira couldn’t help smiling.

_Oh, he’s good._

“Oh really? _Well_ …” Akira scooted closer, taking hold of Goro’s belt, “Let’s see if your deductions are correct.”

The belt took some fiddling before it came undone; Akira didn’t bother pulling it out of the loops before he unzipped Goro’s fly. He slipped Goro’s boxers down just slightly to reveal his partner’s already eager cock.

Akira whistled.

“This worked up already?” he purred. “If I didn’t know any better, I’d think you were looking forward to this.”

“A detective can’t look forward to capturing his suspects?”

“But to think you’d go this far…” Akira smirked, “You’re more twisted than I thought, detective.”

Goro scoffed.

“Don’t keep me waiting, Arsene. Your freedom is riding on this.”

Inexplicably, Akira felt a jolt of excitement each time Goro called him by his pen name. He knew he was supposed to be playing an unwilling partner, a cornered thief trying to placate the detective by giving him what he wanted. But in this moment he couldn’t help playing a slightly different role: a thief hopelessly tangled in romance with his rival, unable to put aside his love even with his life hanging in the balance…

It was with this mix of emotions that Akira leaned forward and planted a gentle kiss on the tip of his partner’s cock. Goro gasped in spite of himself, but quickly recovered.

“Hesitating at a time like this?” he said. “Could it be this is your first time?”

“No, no. I just wanted to get a little taste before I devour you completely.”

“Go on, then. I’d like to see you prove it.”

Akira didn’t waste any more time. He reached up and took his partner firmly by the hips before closing his mouth around Goro’s cock. Goro bit his lip to keep his voice from escaping, but a few involuntary squeaks still found their way to Akira’s ears.

 _Keep it together, detective,_ Akira thought. _Or do you really want to lose to Arsene this early in the evening?_

Goro’s cock pulsed between his lips; Akira answered it with his tongue. He took the shaft deeper, getting right to that sweet spot he knew his fiance liked. Goro quivered slightly in response--good, that was the reaction Akira wanted. He began to suck at it, gently at first, but gradually increased the strength…

“Look at you,” said Goro, though it was clear he was struggling to keep his voice even, “So eager to please… It’s almost as if you--agh!”

Akira didn’t let him finish; he pressed his tongue to his partner’s shaft and lapped at it gently. Goro let out a startled squeak.

“Your _tongue--!”_

There was a slight _pop_ as Akira released him, wiping the corners of his mouth on his sleeve.

“How was that, detective?”

Goro took a moment to catch his breath, but he still managed to feign disappointment.

“You’ll have to do a lot better than that if you expect me to let you walk.”

“That was just a warm-up,” Akira quipped, “I’m done holding back now, though.”

Akira leaned back in, taking his lover’s cock as deep as it would go. Goro put a hand on Akira’s head to steady himself, curling his fingers into his partner’s hair.

“You really are quite handsome,” Goro remarked. “A pity… we’ll see how that face of yours looks by the end of the night.”

Akira couldn’t help shivering in anticipation; he returned to his task with renewed fervor.

 _God…_ _He thinks he’s bad at talking dirty, but get him into roleplay mode and he just goes wild. We definitely,_ ** _definitely_** _need to do this more often. I’ll fuck that shyness out of him if it’s the last thing I--!_

Akira snapped from his thoughts as Goro’s cock pushed deeper into his mouth. Akira responded in kind, accepting his partner’s thrusts even as they threatened to choke him. He tightened his grip on Goro’s hips to steady himself, but it soon became clear that he wasn’t the only one losing his balance.

_Can you stay standing this whole time, detective? I bet you can’t. Let’s see how far I can push you._

Goro had two hands on him now; his labored breathing was starting to make way for restrained whines. Akira worked at him mercilessly, thoroughly, getting him _just_ to the point of coming before backing off, tracing lazy circles with his tongue--then diving back in for another round. Goro’s knees gradually began to buckle; he started leaning heavily on his partner, who sunk back on his heels to accommodate him. Akira was glad he’d kept himself in shape over the years: before long, he was the only thing supporting his fiance’s weight.

_Uh-huh. That’s what I thought._

Akira tried not to let the smug satisfaction show on his face as he went in for the kill--!

“Wait--! T-that’s enough--!”

“Hm?” said Akira, releasing him. He kissed his partner’s cock lightly, “Are you sure? You sounded like you were about to come.”

“I’m not done… having my way with you…!” Goro had to struggle to string the words together. Akira set him back down, and Goro shakily straightened up, taking a few moments to catch his breath. Finally he took the restraints from his pocket, smiling.

“You’ve done well thus far, but let’s see how well you do with your hands bound.”

“I was wondering when you were gonna get around to cuffing me,” said Akira with a smirk.

“Mm, but I can’t put these on unless you take that coat off,” said Goro languidly, “The cuffs are in the way.”

“And you expect me to just strip for you?”

“You can always refuse, Arsene. But you’re going to prison unless I get what I want.”

“You drive a hard bargain, detective.”

Akira pulled his coat off slowly, making a particular show of revealing his bare shoulders one at a time. Goro watched him all the while, bemusedly--but Akira knew there was a particular look in Goro's eyes when he was struggling to contain his lust.

“There,” said Akira, tossing the coat on the floor next to him, “Better?”

“Much better,” Goro answered, “Now, hands behind your back, Arsene.”

Goro went around behind him and took hold of his wrists. Akira jumped a little as the cold leather of the restraints touched his skin, but he did his best to hold still while Goro bound his wrists together. Once he was certain the restraints were tight enough, Goro yanked downward on the short chain connecting them. Akira arched his back, letting out a yelp.

“There you are,” said Goro, “How does it feel to be completely under my control?”

Akira’s breath caught in his throat.

_Good. Incredible. God, just--!_

Goro didn’t give him time to verbalize a response; putting one hand on Akira’s waist and another on his back, he slowly pushed his fiance’s face into the carpet.

_Jesus, Goro, you keep this up and I’ll do whatever you want--!_

He felt hands at his groin; Goro was undoing the buttons on his pants. With a light tug, pants and boxers slid down and off. Akira lifted his knees one by one so that Goro could remove them completely.

“Mm, now that’s a sight.” Goro ran his fingers along Akira’s exposed ass; the thief shivered at his touch. “How do you expect to weasel your way out of this one?”

“I’ll think of something, I’m sure,” said Akira with a weak smile.

“Time’s running out, Arsene.”

Goro took a moment to remove his gloves. Akira felt his partner’s hands on his ass again, warm and soft this time. Goro began to massage him gently, and Akira breathed a blissful sigh. He could feel his entire body relaxing, dissolving at his lover’s touch…

_Ohhhh, just like that…!_

“Hm? Do you _like_ this?” said Goro, though he full well knew the answer.

“... Yes…” Akira murmured into the carpet.

“Hmph. I’m not surprised a depraved thief like you would be into this kind of thing.”

“You’re one to talk,” Akira shot back. “You don’t seem like you’re having a bad time either, _detective_.”

Goro gave his partner’s ass a squeeze; Akira let out an undignified squeak and clamped his mouth shut.

“You’re right. I’m quite enjoying myself,” Goro answered him. He took hold of Akira’s cock in one hand; the other continued its massage. “Reducing you to this pitiful state… I’d be lying if I said I didn’t love watching you squirm.”

As if to illustrate his point, Goro tightened his grip around his fiance’s cock. Akira leaned into him, bucking his hips slightly.

_Oh, please keep going, please--!_

“More?” asked Goro.

“Yes, please...!!”

“Oh dear, begging already? Could it be that you _want_ me to fuck you?”

Goro released him, much to Akira’s disappointment; he took a brief detour to grab the bottle of lube off the nightstand before returning.

“Don’t worry,” said Goro, lubing up his fingers, “You’ll get exactly what you deserve.”

Akira gasped as Goro took hold of him again--one hand firmly around his cock, like before; the other slowly pressing into him, a finger at a time…!

“ _Fuck,”_ Akira hissed, biting his lip.

“Hm? I’m sorry, I couldn’t hear you.”

Even as he said it, Goro teased the tip of Akira’s cock; he had no intention of letting his partner give a coherent answer.

“Go-- _detective…!”_ Akira whined, correcting himself just in time.

“What’s my name, Arsene?”

Goro slipped another finger in beside the first, and Akira gasped. He had to keep in character just a little longer…!

“A…. Akechi…!”

“Good. You remember your place.”

Goro kept working at him, striking up a regular rhythm with both hands. Akira helplessly fell into step with him, leaning successively harder into Goro’s thrusts. It felt incredible, but it wasn’t _enough_ ; he needed something a little bigger to fill the widening space his partner’s fingers left behind…!

“I think you know what’s coming next, Arsene.”

There was a slight _squelch_ as Goro’s fingers slipped back out, and Akira bit back an impatient whine.

“Patience.” Goro released his fiance’s cock to take a condom from his pocket. How long it had been there, Akira didn’t know--or care. He shivered as he heard the wrapper crinkling open. “You’ll get your freedom… once I’m done having my way with you.”

“Ugh…” Akira groaned weakly; he could hardly see straight for his lust. “Just… do whatever you want…”

“Hm?”

“I said _do what you want_ …!” said Akira, more loudly this time. “Please, just--use me as you will…!”

Goro took a deep breath, flushing in spite of himself.

“Look at you, begging to be fucked like this… Do your accomplices know this is the real you?”

Akira arched his back, hoping to get just a little closer to Goro’s waiting cock…!

“Akechi… _please_ …!”

_Shut up and fuck me already…!!_

“Alright, alright,” said Goro, “You’ve been very patient. Here, I’ll give you your reward.”

Goro took hold of Akira’s waist, steadying him. Something cold and wet pushed up against Akira’s ass, and he eagerly leaned into it. Goro’s cock slid inside him easily.

“Ohhh….!!” Akira’s voice fell from his mouth as a delighted moan, “That’s _it..!!”_

Akira rocked his hips, pushing his lover’s cock deeper--he could feel it pulsing inside him, twitching, filling him _just right,_ with room for little else…!

“More… please…!!”

“That’s as deep as it goes, Arsene,” Goro answered; his breaths were coming more ragged now. “I’m impressed you can take it.”

Akira wanted to quip something back at him, but for once, he couldn’t think of anything to say; Goro’s cock was the only thing he could focus on. Seeming to sense this, Goro began to move, pushing against him in a steady rhythm.

“Ahhhgh,” Akira let out a messy, drawn-out sigh, _“Akechi…!”_

“Yes?”

“Detective Akechi… you’re so....!” the words were coming to him, slowly; he had to force them out between thrusts, “You’re so big…! It feels incredible…!”

Goro sucked in a gasp behind him.

“ _Fuck_ that’s hot,” he hissed, gripping Akira tighter, “I mean--q-quiet, you--!”

He began to thrust more vigorously, and Akira matched him; it felt so good that he was conscious of little else. His voice spilled out as feverish moans one minute and delirious laughter the next.

“You’re really… the perfect size…!”

“Aki-- _Arsene_ \--!”

“Ohhh, keep going--! Don’t _stop_ \--!”

Goro was leaning over him now; Akira could feel his partner’s weight at his back. His own legs were starting to shake, and he wondered if Goro was trembling too…!

“Oh--it’s too much--!” Goro cried out, “I’m--!”

Goro came with a shudder and a strained whine; bucking into Akira to make sure he got out every last drop. Akira simply took it, savoring the feeling of warmth; even if it was inside a condom, it was still…!

“Good god, Goro, don’t stop--! I’m so close!”

“Akira…!”

Desperately lost in each other, the two finally abandoned their roles. Goro, for his part, did his best to keep thrusting even with his own climax passed. He reached around to Akira’s cock and took hold of it again, lazily dragging his fingers around the tip--!

“ _Ohhhh...!!”_ Akira answered him with a low groan, “That’s it, Goro…! More, please--!”

“Still not done?” Goro teased, his voice slurring just slightly, “Don’t worry… I’ll make sure you come.”

“Oh god, I’m so close--!”

Goro gave him a few more meaning thrusts, and that was the end of it; Akira came with an unrestrained cry, spilling himself all over the carpet.

For a while there was only the sound of their breathing--Akira practically wheezing as he came down from his high, and Goro still struggling to stay upright behind him--and a dizzying euphoria that reached all the way to Akira’s fingers and toes.

_Good lord… that was perfect…_

There was another _squelch_ as Goro pulled himself out, and Akira jumped as his partner’s cock left him. Akira let himself relax a little, falling on his side on the carpet. It was not long before Goro joined him. Their eyes met, both seeing stars; it was a little while before either registered that the other was gazing back at him.

“So…?” said Akira finally, smiling, “Does the notorious thief go free in the end?”

Goro smiled back playfully.

“What do you think?”

“I think…” said Akira, “The two of them elope together and get married.”

Goro snorted.

“After all,” Akira continued, “When you find someone who fucks you _this_ good, you don’t let them go!”

“You _rascal_ ,” Goro shot back, but he was already laughing. “Here, let me get those restraints for you.”

He sat up, with difficulty--Akira could tell he was exhausted, but he couldn’t well remove his own restraints. He rolled over so that Goro could get to them more easily; they slipped off without much trouble. His wrists were a little stiff, but otherwise unharmed. He took the opportunity to remove his own gloves.

“Let’s get the carpet cleaned up,” said Akira, sitting up. He spotted the puddle he’d left on the floor. “Yikes, I made a mess…”

“Here’s the tissue box.”

Goro handed him the box from their nightstand, and he set to work mopping up the mess. He knew his cum wouldn’t leave much of a stain, but he still felt a little guilty coming all over a carpet he didn’t own…

… only a little guilty, though.

As Akira got cleaned up, Goro removed the condom and tied it with a satisfied hum. He tossed it into the trash, along with Akira’s pile of tissues, and went to the bathroom to finish cleaning himself up. Meanwhile, Akira eyed his coat, which he'd left in a pile on the floor. Part of him wanted to hang it back up, but he was thoroughly exhausted. Tomorrow he could worry about putting it away properly.

Goro came back into the room, drying his hands on his pants.

“Can you stand?” he asked.

Akira tried--and failed. He didn’t quite have strength back in his legs yet.

“You really did a number on me, babe…”

“Alright, give me your hand.”

Goro helped his spent fiance to his feet and guided him over to the bed. They both flopped down on it together.

“Let me get my vest off…” Akira murmured.

“Let me.”

Goro went to unbutton it, but noticed that it had a zipper instead; he was able to remove it quickly. He shed what remained of his own clothing and pulled the covers up around them. Akira took a deep breath, exhaling slowly--blissfully. He felt completely, utterly satisfied, and he would have been quite comfortable never moving from that bed again.

“Goro… that was incredible.”

“I’m glad,” Goro answered with a smile, “It was… really good for me, too.”

“Honestly, it was the best fuck I’ve ever had.”

“You say that every time we do something kinky.”

“Well, _you_ keep coming up with better and better ways to fuck me~!”

“Oh, stop.”

Akira reached for Goro’s hand and brought it to his lips, lingering on his fiance’s ring.

“I’m glad you had a good time, though,” he said after a while. “I was worried, you know. After what happened last time…”

“I know,” said Goro. “I didn’t really know how it would turn out, so I was worried at first too. But… I had a lot of fun with it. More than I expected to…”

“Good.” Akira practically beamed at him. “Maybe we’ll do this more often?”

“Of course,” said Goro, “Another chance to have you bound and begging at my feet? I wouldn’t miss it for the world.”

Akira whistled, trying hard to contain his grin.

“Careful, or I’m gonna want another round.”

“Oh please,” said Goro, “You can barely stand.”

“I don’t have to be standing to fuck you silly~!”

Goro sighed.

“We can have our rematch another time. I’m exhausted.”

“ _Fiiiiine._ ”

Goro took Akira’s wrist in his hand, rubbing his thumb over it absentmindedly. After giving it some thought, he brought it to his lips.

“I can’t see the scars anymore,” he commented quietly, “You know, from…”

“Yeah,” said Akira, “They come out in the shower, though.”

“I see…” Goro seemed pensive for a moment. “The restraints didn’t hurt, did they? I tied them pretty tight…”

“They were fine. Didn’t feel a thing.”

“Good,” Goro sighed in relief, “It seems like they were a good investment, then.”

“ _I’ll_ say so.”

Goro scooted closer to him; their lips met softly. Akira breathed a happy sigh, bringing his hand up to Goro’s nape and tangling his fingers in his hair.

“I love you,” he whispered. He probably said it a thousand times in a week, but he couldn’t help saying it again. Especially knowing how much it meant to him…

“I love you too,” Goro answered him, “Thank you for trying this with me…”

“I should be thanking _you_ ,” said Akira, “For being willing to try again. It was pretty brave of you, Goro.”

“Well, what can I say?” said Goro with a shrug, “You give me courage, Akira. Not just for sex, but for a lot of things…”

Akira’s heart melted; he wrapped his arms around his fiance and brought him in close.

“You’re so _cute!!”_

“Akira--!”

“How did I end up with a husband as cute as you?!”

“... You went to France and stole a bunch of priceless artwork?”

“ _And_ a detective’s heart, apparently.”

“Well, that too--!”

Akira practically showered his fiance in kisses, and Goro could do little more than giggle and squirm in his grip. Gradually his kisses grew slower, gentler, more tender--after a while he met Goro’s lips and lingered there for a long time.

_I’d gone to France on a whim, but here I am, five years later, with the love of my life…_

“Hm?” said Goro as they parted. Akira’s emotions must have started showing on his face. “Something wrong?”

“Nah, just thinking about how cute you are.” Akira decided not to share what was really on his mind. Some part of him knew, instinctively, that Goro felt the same way. “Here--wanna be the small spoon for a bit?”

“Sure.”

Goro rolled over, and Akira scooted closer to him. He wrapped his arm around his fiance and pulled him close, burying his nose into his partner’s almond hair. There was something _right_ about the way they fit together.

_We joke about me stealing your heart, but… you’re not a bad thief yourself, you know. You ought to give yourself some credit--after all, you had me from the moment you sat down across from me. It’s been five years, and I’m still completely helpless around you._

_Heh… I wonder if this is what they mean when they say love is blind._

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Another (DEFINITELY NSFW) illustration can be found [here](https://privatter.net/i/2128397), heheheh... (now requires a twitter account to view, sorry! thanks for nothing, tumblr)
> 
> I think we're getting close to the end of the fic here, so uh, stay tuned for that.


	14. Epilogue

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Akira hears from a former accomplice...

_To: Akira Kurusu (me)_

_From: <sender hidden> _

_Subject: Been a while_

\--

_Akira. It’s been a long time. Bet you thought you’d seen the last of me, huh?_

_You really haven’t changed, though, have you. Your little stunt the other day made the news over here in France. Gotta say, I’m impressed. A ballsy move from someone who was already the ballsiest guy I know._

_Don’t worry--you’re not in trouble. I’m not here to tell you the feds are on your trail or you’ll have to change your name and move to Argentina or something. Far from it. Matter of fact, the man in charge asked me to congratulate you on avoiding capture this long. So, from all of us going by ‘Morgana’ - congratulations on your legal immunity._

_But you know… there aren’t a lot of people out there as crazy as you._

_I’ll stop beating around the bush. If you were wanting to get back into the game, we’d have a job for you. Say the word and we can have your plane tickets ready as soon as next week. A nice little apartment with a view of Notre Dame and your name on it--not to mention a comfortable stipend for living expenses._

_No need to respond immediately. Just know the offer’s open. Can’t imagine an art history major has that much else going on, right?_

_Kidding._

_Anyway. Thanks for the laugh the other day. Stole the whole show._

_Hope to hear back from you soon._

_-Morgana_

 

Akira read the email through a few times, giving his response an appropriate amount of thought, before typing his reply and hitting send. He shut the laptop and got up from his desk, taking his coffee mug with him into the other room. Goro sat on the couch in the living room, his laptop open in front of him. Akira set his mug down on the table before giving his fiance a tender kiss.

“Akira?”

“Whatcha workin’ on, babe?”

Akira took a seat next to him, and Goro spun the laptop around to show him. A neatly-designed website showing photographs of a still pond covered in lilies was up on the screen.

“Monet Garden Marmottan,” Akira read the webpage title. “That’s the one in Kochi Prefecture, right? I’ve heard of that.”

Goro nodded.

“I got to thinking about possible venues for… you know…”

“Our wedding?” Akira finished for him.

“Well…” Goro smiled bashfully, “This one might be a bit far out of our budget as a student and security guard, but…”

“It’d probably be less expensive than flying to France to rent the real one,” said Akira.

“That is. Certainly true.”

Goro let Akira tab through the other options: a nice park here, a French-style hotel there… truthfully, Akira hadn’t yet given much thought to what he wanted for their ceremony--if they ever got around to having one. On their budget, it might be a while before they could afford to have even a small ceremony. All the same, that didn’t stop him from imagining what kind of grandiose event he could put on if money were no object…

“You know…” said Akira, “We could have a phantom thief-themed wedding.”

“Oh _absolutely_ not.” Goro shut the laptop with a snap.

“The invitations could look like calling cards, and we could both dress up all fancy…!”

“ _No.”_

“Aww, why not?”

“Because I’m your husband and I said so,” said Goro matter-of-factly.

Akira chuckled to himself.

“Technically, you’re not my husband _yet_.”

“I am according to the Shibuya ward office.”

“Shit, you’re right…”

Akira relented, leaning back into the couch. He liked the idea too much to really give it up; he’d have to wheedle Goro into it over time. Maybe they could reach a compromise…

Akira leaned on his fiance’s shoulder, watching as Goro scrolled through the websites for various venues. Goro tilted his head slightly to touch Akira’s; they both let out quiet sighs. In calm moments like these, Akira was able to forget about the world for a bit--just being with his fiance, even doing nothing at all, was more than enough.

_Hah. When did I get so damn domestic? I bet Morgana would laugh if he knew I’d become such a homebody over the years…_

“Oh, that reminds me,” said Akira quietly.

“Hm?”

“I got an email last night from… from my former accomplice.”

Goro stopped typing midsentence; Akira sat up so that his fiance could look him in the eyes.

“Your former…?”

“We hadn’t really spoken since I left France.” Akira rubbed the back of his head. “We didn’t think it’d be safe to be in contact, you know?”

“Understandable… and what did he say?”

“He said he’d seen the NHK broadcast and asked if I wanted to get back into thievery.”

Akira almost wished he hadn’t said anything; a look of abject terror passed over Goro’s face.

“Relax, I turned him down.”

Goro breathed a sigh of relief.

“Don’t scare me like that,” he said.

“Sorry,” said Akira, “But I thought you ought to know. I don’t want to hide something like this from you.”

“Oh…” Goro’s expression warmed, “In that case, thank you.”

Akira smiled at him.

“I told him I’m married,” he said quietly. “Playing vigilante was fun and all, but… there’s something much more important to me now.”

He leaned forward, touching his forehead to his partner’s.

“The life I have with you… I wouldn’t trade that for the world.”

Goro couldn’t help laughing a little; he brought his hands up to Akira’s cheeks.

“Good,” he said, “If you _did_ ever go back to a life of crime, I’d rejoin the force just so I could arrest you myself.”

“Sure, because that worked out _great_ for you last time.”

“Mm, I can think of a few ways to get you to stay put…”

Akira smiled even as their lips met.

_I don’t have any regrets from my time as Arsene. Not now, not ever. After all--Arsene was the only reason the two of us were even in Paris at that time. The red string of fate tying us both together._

_That we met as Akira and Goro first, that we became friends and fell in love, seems too good for a mere “coincidence”._

They parted, briefly; Akira tucked a wayward lock of hair behind his fiance’s ear. Seeing Goro looking back at him, knowing that those soft lips were his alone to kiss…

_If it wasn’t for Arsene, I would never have met you._

_But even so… the name “Arsene” doesn’t have to belong to me forever. Perhaps it will go on to link more unsuspecting pairs with the red string of fate. A thief who connects people’s hearts--a name and a legacy for the next Arsene to make their own._

Akira reached around to the back of Goro’s head, bringing him in for another round. Goro was at his lips again in an instant, and Akira was all too happy to respond in kind.

_The name "Akechi," though…_

_It has a nice ring to it._

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey all, thanks for reading! I really appreciate it. This was just something short and silly, but I've been enjoying reading all your comments. It's been fun revisiting this AU (i say 'revisiting' but did I ever really leave?)
> 
> As thanks for sticking with me, [here's some art!](http://magu-art.tumblr.com/post/166135983662/the-last-chapter-of-accomplice-ending-will-go-live)
> 
> And here's a sort of "timeline" for how things go in chronological order, bc I realize the structure of this fic might have been confusing:
> 
>  **Year 0** \- Love  & Justice
> 
>  **Year 1**  
>  April - Goro begins college  
> Late May - Epilogue of L&J, “Blind Justice”  
> July - “Blind Love”
> 
>  **Year 2**  
>  March - Akira graduates; continues living/working at Leblanc  
> April - Goro’s second year begins, still living in dorms, but spends many nights at Leblanc
> 
>  **Year 3**  
>  Early that year - Akira takes job at Bridgestone Museum, decides to move out of Leblanc  
> March - Goro finishes 2nd year, no longer wants to live in dorms since he finds he’s spending more time with Akira anyway. Goes apartment shopping with Akira, but has to sign up for a few more months in the dorms while they find one they can agree on.  
> April - Goro’s 3rd year begins.  
> August - the boys move into their Makuhari apartment. 
> 
> **Year 4**  
>  January - “Hatsumoude”  
> Somewhere between jan and april - Goro and Akira get officially registered as “same-sex partners” in Shibuya; plan to have formal wedding ceremony later  
> April - Goro’s 4th year begins  
> Mid-late summer - the “Present” scenes of Accomplice Ending
> 
> _______
> 
> Anyway, I'm going to ~~hopefully~~ put this AU away for a little bit while I work on other things, like original projects. Lord knows I have more ideas (even for scenes that could technically have gone in this fic, but i'd already posted it by the time I got them) but, like with L &J, they're outside the scope of what I wanted to say with this. I'm not gonna make any promises (historically that's been bad for me) but maybe you'll be hearing more from them again sometime?
> 
> who am i kidding im so invested in this au lord knows i wont be able to put it down forever lmao


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